Phantoms of the Past
by bowcaster46
Summary: Six months after Malachor. Under the tutelage of Ahsoka, a distant but much more powerful Ezra must reconnect with his friends and loved ones in order to defeat an ancient and long forgotten galactic threat that neither the Empire or the Rebellion is prepared to face. TWO NEW CHAPTERS COMING ON AUGUST 9TH, 2018
1. Prologue

_Nar Shaddaa_

Smugglers moon was a modest nickname for Nar Shaddaa. There were slave auctions, homeless children, and even a few dead bodies all within the main star port. The worst part was that the empire even had a presence there, but did nothing about the crime, the homeless, or even the slavery which was technically illegal.

The main port was littered with mercenaries, thieves, smugglers, slavers, and the occasional imperial patrol. All of them moving along the dimly lit platforms of the dark moon city as if what surrounded them was normal. Then again, very few of them were stand up citizens and none of them noticed their newest addition.

A hooded human in a dark brown leather jacket with an armored chest plate underneath, shoulder guards, and vambraces on his arms disembarked his freighter. His face concealed by the shadow of the hood and a plain black metal mask with a simple T-visor. With his hand gently resting on his A180 Blaster in its pistol configuration, he looked like any other mercenary stopping in Nar Shaddaa looking for work.

Nobody noticed him except for one child who bumped into him and began to run away. Before she could, his hand reached out with lightning speed catching her by the wrist. The girl turned back to him, eyes wide with fear, as he looked down into the hand of the wrist he had caught. In her small palm was a credit chip with a hundred credits on it, taken from his pocket as she bumped into him.

Tears welled up in the girl's eyes, fearing what her fate would be at the hands of the mercenary as he reached into his pocket with his free hand. Her jaw dropped as he pulled his hand out of his pocket and dropped another credit chip worth a hundred into her hand.

"Don't spend it all in one place." The merc said, his voice sounding almost gentle despite the metallic noise it made through his mask's audio filters. The wide eyed girl nodded emphatically, her skin still pale from fear as he let her go. As soon as she was free she instantly scurried away disappearing into the crowd.

The mercenary checked his surroundings silently and moved on. He knew where he was going, his target was practically advertising where he was. The crowd thinned and the noise of ship engines faded as he made it further into the city. The streets were narrow and surrounded by tall windowless buildings as far as the eye could see.

After turning a few corners the merc made it to an open junction, at its center was a group of people all watching something. Moving closer he recognized most of the people as Mercenaries or gang members, some of them were even Mandalorian freelancers. As he closed in on the crowd he finally saw what had all of their attention. It was a hologram bounty board. It most likely had every bounty by both the empire and the hutts in the entire sector. The merc scoffed in disbelief at the bounty that was currently being displayed.

It was a bounty of one million credits, below the bounty price was a picture and description. The picture was of a human male with short black hair that almost looked blue. He had light olive skin and a sharp jawline with two small scars on his cheek and another scar down his opposite eyebrow and eye. The description read.

 _Bounty: 1,000,000 galactic credits_

 _Conditions: Wanted Alive, if dead, reward of only 250,000_

 _Name: Ezra Bridger_

 _Species: Human_

 _Gender: Male_

 _Age: 17_

 _Wanted for:_

 _Petty Theft x72_

 _Grand Theft x9_

 _Acts of Terrorism x4_

 _Unsanctioned trade with known enemies of the Empire x6_

 _Acts of Arson x22_

 _Assassination of an Imperial Official x10_

 _Key suspect in the catastrophe of Lothal. Extremely dangerous and well armed, approach with caution. Any person with information leading to the capture of suspect will be rewarded with 100,000 credits._

The crowd murmured amongst themselves, all hastily downloading the information on the bounty. The merc backed away from the crowd, deciding it was best to move on. His target was going to move soon. He made his way further down and into the city until he came to a dead end alley in an abandoned part of the city. half of the buildings within eyesight had already collapsed and a dark moss grew on the platforms No doubt due to the crumbling infrastructure and lack of any care. At the end of the alley was a single wide door. His target's operation center on Nar Shaddaa. He shuddered to think of what he would find inside if they were hiding their work even on this hellhole of a moon. It didn't matter though, it would only make his work easier.

With indescribable confidence, the merc walked down the alley, not bothering to check his surroundings as he moved as if he was entirely clairvoyant. He stepped over an invisible trip laser and ducked under another without breaking his stride.

Once he was at the door, he simply waved his hand across it and it opened. Behind the door was his target, a Chiss male garbed in all black and two lightsabers at his belt, Alongside him were four First Sun Mercenaries. They all stopped loading up the speeders and immediately drew their weapons on the merc not bothering to question how he got past the locked door or their security measures. Neither the Chiss nor the Merc made any movement, simply staring at each other until the latter finally broke the silence.

"Where is he." The gentle voice he had used with the girl earlier was long gone, now it had been replaced by a cold emotionless growl.

"Where is who?" The Chiss replied with a grin.

"Maul, he killed some people very close to me." The merc stated, unphased by his opponents goading as he reached behind his back and pulled a lightsaber from underneath his jacket.

"I'm afraid I don't know who you are talking about." The Chiss lied plainly as he looked to his Mandalorian companions.

"Then you'll die." The merc responded as the Chiss gave the order to the soldiers to open fire. As soon as they did, the merc drew his pistol with his left hand and activated his saber with his right hand. The green saber extended just in time to block the first three bolts deflecting two of them directly back to their senders killing the first and wounding the second. Without hesitation he fired his blaster from the hip and killed the wounded soldier with a shot to the neck.

The remaining two soldiers opened fire forcing the merc back as he deflected each shot with grace. Accompanying his companions, the Chiss activated both of his sabers, the crimson glow illuminated the blood red in his eyes as he shot forward lashing out at the mercenary.

The merc deflected each attack, backing up towards the alley junction as he did. The First Sun Mercenaries stopped firing, not able to get a clean shot at the merc due to the Chiss being in the way. The merc holstered his pistol, leaving his left hand free at his side only angering his opponent more that he could hold him off with just one hand.

After a few more steps back, the mercenary finally executed his plan. He jumped back into the four way junction of the alley. The poorly trained and highly agitated Chiss lunged forward with his sabers held high. In one smooth motion the merc stepped to his right, grabbed the hilt of his saber with both hands and brought his saber across in a sweeping motion.

The green saber easily cut through the hilts of both of the red sabers as soon as the Chiss landed. Before he could react, the merc grabbed the Chiss by the neck with unprecedented strength and swung him into the alley wall just a few feet away from the junction.

The merc took his hand off of his enemy's neck and replaced it with his green saber, holding it lengthwise just beneath his chin. The Chiss let out a raspy laugh despite his quick defeat.

"What's so funny?" The merc asked, stepping close so that the Chiss could almost see through the visor on his mask.

"You're forgetting something." The Chiss whispered. Two sets of boots on moss came around the corner into the junction. Without hesitation, the merc grabbed his pistol with his free hand aimed to the noise and fired twice. Two bodies fell instantly.

"No, I'm not." The merc answered without taking his gaze off of the Chiss. The only noise now was the hum of the mercs green saber, just millimeters away from the Chiss' neck.

"Now. Let's try this again." The merc said, pulling his hood back and lifting his mask. He had short black hair that almost looked blue and light olive skin. There were two scars on his left cheek and another one down his right brow and starting again under his right eye. His eyes weren't blue though, not entirely. Along with the bright blue were streaks of yellow that almost seemed to be taking over.

Ezra Bridger leaned in closer, his corrupted eyes narrowing as he stared down one of Maul's many apprentices.

"Tell me where Maul is."

* * *

 **AN: Hey everybody! I hope you enjoyed the prologue and will continue to read! As you can tell, this is going to be very very different from what season 3 of Rebels ended up being. A quick reassurance for those who will likely be skeptical of what occurs in Chapter 1. I am not writing any characters off and while there is some angst in Chapter 1, I like to think that it is reasonable and not out of place. Some chapters will be more oriented towards romance or angst or character development while some will be nearly pure action. As this is a Star Wars fanfiction I will do my best to keep a healthy balance of suspense, mystery, adventure, humor, and romance.**

 **Please please review, comment or PM me with thoughts, reactions etc. I love to talk about this stuff and the reviews are what keep me going and motivate me!**


	2. Steps Into Shadow

Chapter 1: Steps Into Shadow

 _Malachor: One Year before Nar Shaddaa_

Ezra laid Kanan's limp body down on the bench of the Phantom. The Jedi Knight had fainted as soon as they made it to the ship, Ezra suspected from the pain. Something had happened to Kanans eyes, he was wearing an ancient Jedi Knight mask to cover it up. There was a long black gash of seared flesh and muscle down his right upper arm that Ezra could only assume was from a lightsaber. Alongside that were countless other bruises and cuts, Ezra could only wonder what Kanan had been through and what that meant for Ahsoka who alongside Maul had yet to show.

"C'mon Kanan, just hold on." Ezra pleaded as he gripped Kanan's hand tightly as if trying to will his master back to consciousness. The temple shook around them as if awaking from a deep slumber. Ezra looked back at the core, his heart instantly stopped at what he saw. It was still alive with dark energy, lightning sputtering to and from the haunting bright light that was the center.

That's not what had Ezra worried though. Alongside the core, a dark silhouette strode across the platform with a black gloved hand extended toward Ezra.

"Wha- Whoa!" Ezra felt himself torn away from his master and pulled out of the phantom as if he weighed nothing.

He was halfway to the sith lord by the time he was able to get his feet on the ground.

 _Hah!_ He extended his hands towards his opponent and pushed with the force. He put everything he had into it, every bit of focus he could muster into throwing the dark force user away. The force channeled through Ezra and towards Vader who merely stumbled in response.

"Karabast." Ezra swore. His jaw dropping at how little of an impact he had. He found some comfort in noticing that he wasn't being pulled anymore. Ezra pulled out his lightsaber and double checked the holocron was still safely secured to his belt. Vader straightened out, standing to his full height that was nearly twice as tall as Ezra. The two faced each other from a distance of only ten or so feet.

Ezra desperately tried to gain his center, breathing in and out methodically as Kanan had taught him to no avail. He felt like a candle in deep space when so close to the darkness that seemed to dwarf even the ominous blackness of the entire planet.

"I don't fear you!" Ezra stood his ground. Vader remained unmoved, his black helmet and face mask revealing nothing, making him look more machine than man. The only indicator of his biology was the black vortex of cold hatred and rage that Ezra felt in the force. It was so overwhelming that it was almost welcoming to Ezra.

"Then you will die braver than most." Vader replied. His cold mechanical voice was without life or emotion, it wasn't a threat. It was a guarantee. Ezra's eyes narrowed, raising his saber in a defensive stance as Kanan had taught him.

His feet shifted and he readjusted his grip as Vader's crimson saber activated. The Sith lord stepped forward with vindication only gripping his saber with one hand, the other hand simply laying at his side. He clearly didn't see Ezra as a threat.

With alarming speed the sith lord's swung his saber at Ezra's midsection. Ezra blocked it just in time, gritting his teeth in pain as the sheer force of the swing sent pain reverberating through his shoulder. Instantly, Vader followed up with a downward swing then an angular downward slash. Ezra blocked the first and barely sidestepped the second. He was outmatched, his opponent was stronger, faster, and far more trained. The worst part was they both knew it, no matter how much Ezra tried to feign confidence. He knew he couldn't hold out long.

Ezra tried to turn the offensive tide of his opponent by stepping forward with a jab but was easily countered by a riposte then an upward slash. Ezra screamed in agony, as white searing hot pain cleaved through his chest. The tip of the crimson saber went from Ezra's right hip all the way to his left shoulder. Ezra's vision went red, his body spun with the momentum of the attack exposing his back.

Vader instantly capitalized on the opening with a chop at Ezra's back down his right shoulder blade. Ezra screamed and instantly doubled over on the stone floor, his entire body on fire. His eyes watered with tears as he desperately tried to regain control of his writhing body.

"Give me the holocron." Vader said as Ezra finally regained a semblance of control over himself. He weakly pushed himself back up onto his feet with a pained groan, his face was sweaty as he took short shallow breaths to try and control the pain.

"Not gonna happen." Ezra narrowed his eyes as he spoke. He felt a surge of anger in the force warning him. He reactivated his saber just in time to block a slow attack from the dark lord, the sabers clashing so close to his face threw off his balance. He saw another flash of red then felt the weight in his hand disappear as his the hilt of his saber was cut in half followed by a heavy cold hand clutching his throat.

Vader lifted Ezra off to his feet and raised the gasping boy just above his height. Ezra desperately clawed at Vader's hands to no avail, they were too strong. Vader breathed in then out, watching the life drain from Ezra as his resistance weakened. Ezra tried kicking Vader in the chest, his toes cracked on the impact and Vader didn't so much as flinch.

"You are reckless, little one." Vader spoke calmly. A familiar figure appeared behind Vader as Ezra's vision started to fade.

"Anakin!" Vader's vice grip loosened letting Ezra crumple to the ground.

 _Anakin? Anakin Skywalker?!_ Ezra realized the true identity of the Sith lord as he put the pieces together. The Chosen One he had learned so much about was a Sith.

Too weak to move, Ezra watched in newfound fear as Vader looked down at his limp body. All it would take would be one movement, one flick of the wrist and he could have killed Ezra, and they both knew it.

After a moment, Vader passed Ezra over, evidently deciding he wasn't a threat for the meantime.

"Anakin Skywalker is dead." Vader answered Ahsoka as he turned to face his former apprentice.

"He was weak. I killed him." he finished as he balled his open hand into a fist.

"Then I will avenge him." Ahsoka said, Ezra had never seen her like this. The Togruta force wielder was always reformed and collect. This was something else entirely, she was vulnerable and impenetrable at the same time. He felt her wrath and passion but it was conflicted with pity and harmony at the same time, as if she was prepared to end something that had been at her back for a long time.

"Revenge is not the jedi way."

"I am no jedi." Ahsoka activated her dual lightsabers simultaneously. Their white energy indicating her connection to her kyber crystals was stronger than ever. Ezra realized as a single tear slid down her cheek, she was ready to die.

 _No._ Ezra pleaded silently, his voice to weak to speak.

Vader took his saber in two hands as Ahsoka immediately attacked, lashing out in a flurry of attacks and acrobatics, never staying in the same place for more than a blink of the eye. Despite being in heavy armor and having only one saber, Vader had no issue in keeping pace with his former apprentice.

Their sabers clashed at every moment as Ahsoka dove and flipped over and under her opponent. Vader remained in one place, pivoting and abusing his superior strength and height as his cape billowed behind him against the strong cavernous wind.

"I need a lot more training." Ezra hoarsely whispered at the sight of the two force users duelling at full speed. He saw now that Vader wasn't even giving Ezra half effort in their own duel.

"Ezra!" Ahsoka yelled as she spun around her opponent and placed herself in between Vader and Ezra. "GO!"

"I'm- not leaving you behind." Ezra tried to yell, his throat protested in pain. Slowly he began to push himself up onto all fours. The noise of lightsabers cutting through air and clashing echoed in harmony with the increasing energy humming through the temple. Another vibration echoed throughout the cavern and increased in intensity slowly. Ezra felt another alarm in the force. This one was coming from above him. Above him he saw the roof of the triangular central room was closing and the core of the temple was brightening and gaining power. Ezra had no idea what was happening, but by the force he knew it wasn't anything good.

"Ahsoka!" Ezra coughed weakly. "The roof!"

"I know!"

Vader pushed Ahsoka back, she lowered herself as low to the floor as she could to keep her balance as her feet slid across the smooth stone floor. After getting room, Vader immediately turned to Ezra, open palm extended.

 _Oh no._ Ezra instinctively reached for the holocron expecting to be pulled. Instead he was thrown, the force hit his chest like a freighter knocking the air out of him and sending him flying back first into the side of the Phantom. His head slammed into the metal and everything went black.

Ezra woke with a start, gasping for air and frantically trying to get a hold of his surroundings. He quickly recognized the familiar dimly lit interior of the Phantom. Ahsoka was sitting over him, she didn't speak or make eye contact with him. She simply tended to his wounds which ached in the worst kind of ways.

"Wha-" Ezra massaged the back of his head gently as he sat up. "What happened."

"Vader threw you into the Phantom. Knocked you out cold, Chopper couldn't drag you so I had to get you." Ahsoka answered flatly. Ezra could feel her fingers trembling as she finished adjusting the bandage on Ezra's chest.

"And we still have the holocron?" Ezra asked. Ahsoka nodded behind her to indicate where it was sitting across from them on the bench at Kanan's feet.

"Kanan!" Ezra yelled, he jumped out of the seat to his injured master. He took in the details of Kanans injuries carefully, his heart rate increasing at each new one. His master's pain infected the very air sending Ezra into a fit. Tears started to fill his eyes and slide down his cheeks, only worsening at each new injury he found. The worst was the eyes. His fingers deftly reached towards the thick bandage wrapped around his head.

"Ezra don't" Ahsoka pleaded but Ezra didn't listen. He lifted the bandages and felt his heart stop.

 _His eyes._

They were almost completely scorched over. There was no way the Jedi Knight was ever going to see again. The flesh was melted and disfigured as if it had been hit with some type of plasma or burned.

 _Like a lightsaber._

"Vader." Ezra growled, all of his emotions turning from worry to anger, he wanted vengeance.

"Vader didn't do this, Ezra." Ezra's neck snapped to look at Ahsoka a confused look on his face.

"Maul did."

"Maul." Ezra's lips parted slightly as the wave of guilt hit him.

"It's my fault." He whispered, looking back at Kanan's weakened form in front of him. It was more than just Kanan though. He recalled the fight with Vader, how easily he had been beaten and how Ahsoka had to protect him. If he had been stronger, maybe they could have beaten Vader or if he hadn't trusted Maul, Kanan would have been able to fight too.

"It's all my fault."

Back on Atollon Ezra finally appreciated a moment alone. Hera and the rest of the crew wouldn't let him out of their sight since they got back, and he had finally managed to slip away before dinner.

Ezra sat at the edge of the mesa watching the deep orange sunset fall over the horizon. It made perfect silhouettes of the unique Atollon landscape making the tall tiered mesas look like wildflowers compared to the massive sun. It was beautiful, he wanted to remember it forever. The only thing he could think about though was Kanan and how he would never be able to see this.

" _He will never see again."_ The doctor's words echoed through Ezra's mind again. Ezra felt the tears coming again, this time he didn't fight them. He pulled his knees up tight to this chest and buried his face in his arms

"It's all my fault." Ezra repeated the words to himself as he sobbed. He was so engrossed in his own self loathing that he failed to notice a presence approaching him.

"Ezra." He heard Ahsoka say. He felt a hand fall on his shoulder and his head fell into shadow. Ezra looked up through teary eyes to see Ahsoka kneeling between him and the sun, her soft eyes peering into his.

"It's my fault. He's never going to see again!" Ezra sobbed as Ahsoka wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled him close. "Kanan didn't trust Maul but I did and now he's blind!"

"Shh." Ahsoka whispered. She let Ezra cry as he pressed his face into her shoulder. "It's all over now, Ezra." she reassured him as her hand patted his back. "It's over."

As Ezra wept, Ahsoka felt tears of her own streaming down her cheeks. The fallen Jedi knew that in truth it was far from over. The vision that had came to her the previous night had said as much. There was a storm of pain, betrayal, and darkness bearing down on them; and Ezra was to be at the center of it all.

 _It's only just begun._

* * *

 _Atollon: Six Months after Malachor._

"Again!"

"Ezra…" Ahsoka pleaded with Ezra, her shoulders slumping from exhaustion.

"You said you would teach me, Ahsoka!" Ezra cut her off raising his voice which echoed across the barren landscape of Atollon.

Ahsoka clipped her sabers to her belt, and tilted her head sympathetically, trying her best to be patient with the young man.

"And I have been teaching you, we've been sparring all day, Ezra." Ahsoka replied patiently, gesturing towards the setting sun to her right.

 _Oh._ Ezra thought to himself, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

The two started that morning as soon as the sun had come up. Just like they had been doing for the past six months, not always sparring and never one thing for the whole day.

After Kanan left, Ahsoka and Rex took on training Ezra.

Training every day, meditating, weightlifting, shooting, sparring, tactics, combat simulations, and piloting the last of which Ahsoka had put a lot of emphasis on. She was training him for everything a jedi and a soldier was trained in but much more intensive and fast paced. Which was just how Ezra wanted it. After Malachor, seeing how out of his league he was against everybody else there showed him just how much he had to learn.

Ezra looked back at the deep orange sun as it slowly set behind the desert landscape.

"We've got time for another match." He replied after a moment's silence. He was tired, his entire body was aching in protest but he wanted to improve, and at best he had only tied with Ahsoka. It was also better than the alternative, Ezra preferred to spend as little time at the base as possible, it was easier to avoid them that way.

He had enjoyed keeping busy, it kept his mind off of Kanan, of what happened on Malachor. Seeing his old family didn't help and he knew that they had just returned from a supply run that day, he saw the Ghost come in earlier.

"You can't avoid your friends forever, Ezra." Ahsoka answered, denying Ezra's request as she sat down cross legged, facing the sun to take in the view.

Ezra cursed under his breath and shook his head in frustration at how easily Ahsoka had read him. Learning how to shield his thoughts and emotions from other force users was one thing he was having a lot of trouble with, in fact he had made minimal process with it.

Ezra sat down next to Ahsoka leaning back on his hands to watch the sun with her as they had done many times in the past six months. It was one of the few moments of peace he had allowed himself.

"I don't want them to get hurt." Ezra answered softly, recalling Kanans screams of pain and the way he blindly fumbled around the Phantom on their return from Malachor.

"Like Kanan did?"

"Yes." He answered, wincing in guilt at hearing his name out loud.

"It wasn't your fault, Ezra. Nobody blames you for what happened." Ahsoka reasoned, her voice remaining calm and smooth.

"I do!" He growled back letting his anger slip. Ahsoka visually tensed up at his small outburst.'

"Watch your anger, Ezra. It will lead to nothing good." She reasoned calmly. Ezra shook his head in frustration and stood up from his seat, his self hatred and frustration leaking through even in his moments.

"Why?! Because being calm and at peace worked so well?" He replied. Ahsoka furrowed her brow in frustration at his unwillingness to listen.

"It has nothing to do with that. You know I don't follow the way of the jedi anymore and I have never imposed their rules on emotion or attachment onto you." Ahsoka stood up and faced Ezra as she tried to reason with him calmly.

Ezra opened his mouth to reply but was cut short by a hand gesture from Ahsoka instructing him to remain silent.

"Your anger with yourself is the problem. You blame yourself for what happened on Malachor because it is the easier solution." She reasoned.

 _Because it's the truth._ Ezra told himself.

"what happened at Malachor was not your fault but you still blame yourself. You still think about trying to open that holocron every night and when you're not doing that you're isolating yourself from everybody who loves you!" Ahsoka raised her voice leaving Ezra wordless, she had never really yelled at him before and it was the first time she had mentioned the holocron. She had taken it from Ezra as soon as they returned to Atollon. He knew she kept it in her quarters, it called to him every night.

"I'm sorry…" Ahsoka looked down at the ground, rubbing the bridge of her nose, the way she always did when she was frustrated with Ezra or worried about him. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. It won't get us anywhere." Ezra stayed silent, not exactly sure what to say or how to address the holocron, Ahsoka had never told him that she knew he still had it.

Ahsoka sighed heavily then turned back to the sun in last few minutes before disappearing, the orange light illuminating her skin accentuating its color even more.

"Ahsoka, about the holocron…" Ezra began to speak trying to explain why he felt the need to open it.

"It's okay Ezra, I understand." Ahsoka interjected surprising Ezra yet again.

 _A former jedi understands why I would want to open a sith holocron?_ Ezra's mind reeled, unsure of what to think of any of what was happening.

"I don't approve"

 _that makes more sense_

"but I do understand why you feel the need to make use of it."

 _Yeah all of the pain would be for nothing_.

Ezra grimaced, his own scars from the fight both mental and physical screaming out at him as he recalled the sight of Kanan leaving, his master, his friend, the closest thing he had to a father.

"What I do not understand, however," Ahsoka added on, calling Ezra back to the now. "Is why you push everybody away. It does not benefit you or them."

Ezra took a deep breath, he knew he would have to explain this at some point. He had been trying to justify it to himself every day and Every time he saw Hera, Zeb, or Sabine, even Chopper.

"Kanan got hurt protecting me." He answered, slumping his shoulders as he said it. "I couldn't live with myself if anybody else got hurt for me or worse. I just want them to forget about me, move on."

"You don't truly want that though." Ahsoka replied. "I can feel it, you still care for them." Ahsoka closed her eyes, soaking in the last of the sun.

"Of course I don't want that."

"Then why do it?" Ahsoka asks curiously.

"Because it's better than the alternative." he answered simply. "Some day, they will move on from me, they'll accept that I'm not a part of their crew anymore. They won't have to worry about protecting me, they won't be hurt because of me." The sun was just about gone at this point, the landscape in front of the two falling into a cool blue light.

"I worry that you are going down a path I cannot follow." Ahsoka said defeatedly, her tone filled with loss and sadness. "The pressure to protect everybody, to push away the ones you love. It will lead you down a dark path."

"So I can't want to protect everybody without being a Sith? I thought the whole purpose of the jedi was to protect people." He asked watching Ahsoka shake her head in response.

"That was part of the purpose yes." Ahsoka answered. "But that purpose was lost to time, replaced by politics and blind faith which led to where we are now. Anakin was a great jedi and an even better person." She said, her eyes tearing slightly at the mention of her former master.

She paused for a moment trying to push back old memories. "The pressure that the jedi order and the republic put on him to be the chosen one would have caused anybody to crack. Especially considering he was in love."

"But that was forbidden by the order." Ezra exclaimed.

"Exactly, but can you control the love you feel for somebody, Ezra?" Ahsoka asked pointedly.

"No." Ezra answered simply. Ahsoka nodded in response.

"Exactly, and that was Anakin's greatest weakness, because of the Order. For you, Ezra," She faced Ezra putting her hand on his shoulder. "It can be your greatest strength, the Jedi Order isn't here to tell you that you can't love, that you can't have attachments. The love of your crew, your family, it's what makes you who you are. If you turn your back on that, I worry that you will lose sight of who you are and will suffer for it. I don't believe that it's your anger that will be your undoing. I know that you are a good person, a good man and no sith holocron can change that, only you can."

"I don't care if I suffer, as long as none of them have to for me again." Ezra replied.

 _Kanan has already done more than enough for me. I can't handle any more of their blood on my hands._

Ahsoka fell to silence, her eyes telling that she was thinking as the sun finally fell behind the horizon.

"Did you know that Hera visits me every other night to talk about you?" She asked.

"What?" Ezra asked incredulously. Ahsoka nodded her head.

"I can feel her shame, every time. Like a mother who feels that she has failed her child." Ahsoka shook her head, a smirk forming on her face but her eyes still filled with sadness. She truly admired how much they loved Ezra.

"Even the droid comes along with her sometimes. He is an odd one." She added on with a smirk.

"She hasn't failed me." Ezra explained defensively.

"Have you told her that? She knows what you're trying to do. She is afraid of losing you, they all are." Ahsoka explained sadly. "They all express it differently, Ezra. If you reach out to them with the force you will feel it too."

"What about everybody else?" Ezra asked knowing full well that it would only make things more difficult for him.

"Zeb tries his best, he asks about you the same as Hera. He looks at you like a brother, and misses you like one as well."

 _What about Sabine?_

Ezra kept himself from openly asking about the golden eyed Mandalorian. Seeing her around the base always hurt him the most. She had almost completely stopped painting in the past six months and seemed like a completely different person, he had even stopped seeing her with Hera and Zeb for the most part, only going with them on the occasional mission.

 _I miss her the most, just seeing her smile would always make my day. How warm it always was despite her typical harsh demeanor._

Ahsoka cleared her throat to regain Ezra's attention, a knowing look in her eyes.

 _I forgot to shield my thoughts again._

"Sabine is taking it the worst of all to no surprise." Ahsoka answered his unasked question.

"No surprise?" Ezra asked. He hadn't expected her to take it the worst, she was less emotionally available than Zeb, which really did not help the fact that he was so attached to her.

"She cares for you the most, Ezra." Ahsoka beckoned to Ezra indicating that they should get going. Ezra reluctantly followed as the night sky set in revealing the stars above them.

"Funny way of showing it." Ezra grumbled, remembering how long it was before she had anything nice to say to him.

"She could say the same about you, and trust me she does." Ahsoka quipped back quickly.

"Does she talk to you about me too?" He asked curiously as he walked up to Ahsoka's side matching her pace as they made their way back home.

"No." Ahsoka answered simply to Ezras disappointment.

"She doesn't like me. Or trust me for that matter." Ahsoka explained to Ezra as they rounded a boulder revealing Chopper base to their sight "But they do all miss you, and they are all in pain because of your decision the same as you."

"Why wouldn't Sabine trust you?"

"I'm an outsider." Ahsoka shrugged.

"How? You're just as much of a rebel as she is." Ezra remarked.

"It's more complicated than that." Ahsoka responded. "She doesn't know me, I wasn't a part of the Lothal cell, even when I helped I was anonymous remember?"

Ezra's eyebrows furrowed as he recalled the now distant memories. The Lothal cell seemed so long ago now. He had no trouble recalling how distrusting Sabine was of the mysterious Fulcrum however.

"Well I trust you." He said smugly with an innocent shrug of his shoulders.

"Well not everybody is trusting as you, Ezra Bridger." Ahsoka replied with a thin smirk.

"I'm sensing there's a but coming." Ezra sighed. Ahsoka had no shortage of lectures to give him in the past six months. He suspected it wouldn't end now.

"But what if you were in her situation and not as trusting as you are?" Ahsoka asked giving Ezra a moment of silence. "You would do exactly what she is doing." Ahsoka answered her own question. "Be angry, frustrated, and hurt." She finished, as the two entered the base. The hangar was filled with noise and light. Phoenix Squadron had just returned from a mission a few hours earlier, their ships were being worked on. Some were in ranging states of disrepair. Others were missing from their bay spots entirely, having never returned.

"The point is, Ezra. That your actions made in the mind of protecting people from harm, is actually hurting them more than you know. You may not care if you suffer for your decisions, but your friends do, and that includes me."

"Yes, Ahsoka." Ezra mindlessly replied, he felt her bristle in annoyance at his response but paid it no mind. It wasn't the first time she had given him this lecture.

Ezra could feel the energy of everybody in the hangar, as we walked by. Ahsoka had started training him to pick out unique force signatures of people. His heart sunk as he reached out and felt one of the pilots, one of his friends died on the mission, his signature felt like an ocean of sorrow with waves of anger and vengeance.

Ezra moved on, reaching out to others as they made their way to the back of the hangar. He felt another signature, behind the door we were about to go through, this one was...confusing. angry, lonely, and fearful all in one.

Ahsoka and Ezra walked towards the back of the hangar to a door that led to the living quarters "We're leaving tomorrow. An old contact of mine informed me of an abandoned jedi enclave that still may be intact."

"Why the urgency?" Ezra asked.

"If we know of it, there is a chance that the empire already knows about it. We need to get there as soon as possible, before it is found by the empire and corrupted by…" Ahsoka paused as she stopped walking, her eyes forming tears.

"By Vader." Ezra finished for her putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. Kanan and Ezra weren't the only ones who left that fight with scars, Ahsoka was completely broken after her encounter with her former master and friend.

Ahsoka took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She placed her hand on Ezras and opened her eyes. The same calm that always followed her was once again present, something that Ezra had begun to admire in the past months. Ahsoka could control her emotions in a way had never seen.

"Thank you, Ezra." She said softly and warmly. Ezra nodded his head and smiled in return.

The door next to them opened revealing Sabine in casual wear. Her eyes widened in surprise and her cheeks slightly blushing at the sight of Ahsoka and Ezra.

"Oh." She exclaimed, her surprised face quickly turning into a glare.

Ezra quickly retracted his hand from Ahsoka's shoulder, remembering what she had told him earlier and trying to minimize the awkwardness.

"You two should talk." Ahsoka stated firmly. "It's not going to be a short trip. I'll see you in the morning." She slipped past Sabine, who didn't bother to so much as move for Ahsoka.

 _This will be fun._

Ezra nervously rubbed the back of his neck knowing that this wouldn't go well.

"Hey…" He says awkwardly. Sabine remains silent as she steps out of the doorway and into the hangar, her eyes glaring at Ezra with menacingly.

 _She's beautiful even when she's angry at me._ Ezra thinks to himself as she places her hands on her hips, her lips pursed and her light brown eyes still staring him down as if waiting to attack.

"I uhh I like what you did with your hair." He adds in desperately trying to break the silence. She had let the majority of it go back to it's original dark brown and dyed it to fade into pink towards the tips.

"Are you kidding me?" Sabine retorts venomously, tilting her head in disbelief.

"What?" Ezra asks, raising his hands defensively. He knew it wasn't the right thing to say, but it was better than silence.

"My hair?" Sabine points to her hair incredulously, her voice raising in anger. "That's what you have to say to me? After six months?!" She yells, drawing attention from of the nearby mechanics causing Ezra to blush while Sabine completely ignores it.

Ezra opens his mouth to try and explain but didn't know what to say.

"You are unbelievable, Ezra Bridger." She scoffed at him, shaking her head.

 _This is going great, thanks Ahsoka._

"Look, I'm sorry, Sabine. I don't know what else to say." Ezra replied defeatedly, there was never a good way out of this situation.

"Well I do." She hissed at Ezra pointing her finger up at his face, her other hand balling up into a fist.

"You're a damn fool! You haven't talked to any of us since you went wherever you went to try and defeat the Sith!" We're your family and you completely shut us out! And now you're leaving with her again!" She yells pointing back to where Ahsoka went. "Last time you did that you barely made it back! What about this time?"

"I'll come back!" Ezra explains helplessly, his heart aching as he tried to comfort her with what he could. He wanted to tell her everything, but another part of him was afraid to. Over the years, along with his feelings for Sabine, she had become his closest friend, if he told her what happened, he was afraid she would look at him differently.

 _She would look at me like a disappointment._

"Oh you'll come back? Like you did last time?!" She yells, pushing Ezra an expression of anger mixed with distress crossing her face. "You and Kanan were nearly dead when you came back! Then Kanan left without a word to anybody but Hera and then you completely shut me out!"

The anger completely dissipates in her face, leaving something Ezra had never seen in her before.

"It's better that you don't know." Ezra explains, looking away from Sabine shamefully. He could feel everything she felt, she felt hurt, like a wounded animal. Ezra steadied himself, he wanted to just hug her. He missed her more than anything else, but as he had told himself time and time again over the past six months. It was better for both of them if they moved on, she would be safer away from a jedi and he wouldn't have to worry about her.

 _It would only be worse if I told her, I can't do that to her. Sabine deserves better._

Sabine didn't reply, she was completely at a loss for words the same as Ezra. Trying to leave, Ezra moved to walk by her out of the hangar but she blocks his way.

She placed a hand on his chest, looking up at him, a distressed look plaguing her eyes. She didn't want him to leave, she missed him, but he was going to continue to be difficult and wasn't going to give ground.

Ezra looked down at her, his determination fleeting quickly at the sight of Sabine looking up at him like that. Just her hand on his chest caused his heart to skip to a beat.

After a tense moment, Sabine lowered her eyes and hand and stepped aside.

 _Thank you._ Ezra told himself, walking by her as he stepped through the doorway into the hall.

Before he was out of earshot Sabine spoke up again. "Just go Ezra, be alone. It's what you're good at." Ezra felt his pain quickly turn into anger, to rage as he recalled how happy he was to have the crew of the Ghost as his family after being alone for so long, he hated being alone, he loved his family.

Ezra turned on his heel, his blood boiling in anger at Sabines insult. "You really want to know what happened on Malachor Five?" His voice raising into a booming yell and Sabines eyes widening in surprise as he said the dreaded planets name.

"You went to Malachor?" She asked as if the name meant something very specific to her. Ezra brushed it off ignoring her question completely.

"We went to Malachor because of me! Because I was told we would find a way to defeat the Sith there!" Ezra stormed towards Sabine who took a step back in shock, she had never seen Ezra like this, there was something different about him.

"When we got there we were attacked by the Inquisitors and two Sith lords! One of them, I trusted to help us! But he turned on us and Kanan nearly died protecting me because I was too weak! That's how Kanan got hurt! That's how he was blinded!" Ezra yells down at Sabine as she recoils in shock at his outburst.

"That's why we went to Malachor, that's why Kanan got hurt! Because of me!" He finished yelling.

"That's why I've pushed you all away." Ezra explained, tears welling up in his eyes, his anger once again fading into pain. "I won't let anybody I care about get hurt for me again." Sabine tried to reach out to him again with her hand but he brushed it off.

"Now you know, happy?" He asked before turning without a thought and walking away.

"Ezra, wait!" Sabine called after him, the door closed behind him leaving him to himself.

As he made his way back to his own room, Ezra passed Ahsoka's quarters. A familiar power reached out to him. The pure darkness of it's energy promised unfathomable power to whoever freed it. Ezra unwillingly took a step toward the door, his body drawn towards the power. Ahsoka wasn't inside, the only thing he could feel was the holocron demanding he open it.

"It won't give you the answers you need, Ezra." Ezra recoiled in shock, both from the draw of the power and from Ahsoka startling him. She was only a few feet away, a neutral stance and almost completely untelling look on her face save the hint of worry in her blue eyes.

"If not that then what will?" Ezra asked raising his voice and beckoning towards her door. Ahsoka stepped forward and placed a hand on Ezra's shoulder as he averted his gaze.

"I don't know for sure, Ezra." She said. Ezra listened to her voice carefully and took a deep breath. He let it out slowly. It was shaky at first but eventually becoming smooth as he regained a sense of balance in the presence of his friend. "Perhaps we will find some answers on Dantooine." She said with a hint of hope in her voice. Something Ezra had been sorely lacking in lately.

"Thanks, Ahsoka." Ezra said softly as they made eye contact. Ahsoka smiled contently as if she knew that was exactly what Ezra needed. Just a moment to balance himself.

"Get some rest, Ezra."

"Yeah" Ezra chuckled as he began to make his way to his quarters. "I'll try."

* * *

 **So Ahsoka survived Malachor because I felt that her character Arc just should not have ended like that in Season 2. I also felt that she could stand to be interesting to write in more of a relationship with Ezra so here she is! Once again a friendly reminder that I am not writing Kanan off, don't kill me please.**


	3. Unwelcome Visitors

**Hey everybody! I wasn't planning on releasing the second chapter so soon but a few people surprisingly seemed to enjoy the prologue and chapter 1 so I'm releasing chapter 2 early! I sincerely hope you all enjoy it in an amount that is proportionate to how much time I spent on it (rewrote this chapter twice before I was happy with it)**

* * *

Chapter 2: Unwelcome Visitors

 _I would not qualify that as intact. Why would the jedi build an enclave this large all the way out on Dantooine?_

The sprawling gray structure in front of them looked like it had witnessed a full on assault on top of years of decay.

"Just how old is this place?" Ezra asked, pulling aside a thicket of vines in front of what he guessed used to be a doorway. The inside was pitch black, no windows or other exits as far as he could see. A gentle wind blew at his back, as if coaxing him to enter the mysterious building.

"It was abandoned by the jedi around 4,000 years ago after the Mandalorian Wars," Ahsoka replied.

"Four thousand years?!"

"Yes, I don't know how long it stood before that though."

 _I take it back, this does qualify as intact,_ Ezra thought.

"Well, I'll give the Jedi one thing, they knew how to build to last." Ezra remarked.

Ahsoka stepped through the doorway into the darkness of the temple while Ezra hesitantly followed. The wind blew once more at the back of his neck causing his hairs to stand up on edge. This temple wasn't like the one he had been to on Lothal, he could feel in the force that something was wrong here.

Ezra turned on his flashlight revealing the inner corridors, everything was completely overgrown. Even in complete and constant darkness, plants had managed to take over the building. There was an almost black grass nearly up to their knees and the planters along the walls were overflowing with wild fauna and vines, all of which were black like the grass.

"Well that's...weird." Ezra remarked at the odd vegetation, it wasn't like anything he had seen before. Typically only ferns and moss grew in the dark from what he knew.

"Something's not right here." Ahsoka remarked.

"You feel it too?" Ezra asked pointing his flashlight towards her. The Togrutas orange skin looked pale and ghastly under the white light. She nodded in response and closed her eyes.

"Reach out in the force. Tell me what you feel." She said. Ezra closed his own eyes and did as he was instructed. He blocked out all other sensation, the grass bristling at his knees, the gentle Dantooine winds humming across the plains outside, he pushed out with his mind like Kanan and Ahsoka had spent so much time teaching him to do. Slowly, the familiar feeling of the energy that binds every living thing came to him. Only, this time the energy wasn't in harmony like it normally was, it was frantic in places, and calm in others, but never consistent.

"The force here…" Ezra paused, opening his eyes as he tried to describe what he was feeling.

"It's out of balance." Ahsoka explained the feeling for him.

"But why?" Ezra asked. Ahsoka sighed and shrugged, her eyes looking defeated as she wished for any answer to give her companion.

"I don't know, Ezra." She turned to face one of the hallways going directly into the center of the building, her light being cut short by the darkness as if it was seemingly low on batteries. Ezra hesitantly followed. He could feel his heart beating in his chest and hear it in his ears as they made their way further in.

"So how did you find about this place again?" Ezra interrupted the eerie silence hoping it would calm his nerves.

"Senator Organa had the coordinates, said they were given to him by a friend of the Jedi." Ahsoka answered quietly.

They made their way through the first room and came into a small circular courtyard with two massive trees in the center. The roots and bark looked old and decrepit yet strong at the same time.

"This must have been beautiful." Ezra said, taking in the sight of the temple as they moved into another dark chamber across the courtyard.

"It still is in a way." Ahsoka replied wistfully. "Come on we need to see if we can find any records on what happened here or anything else of use. Maybe the armory or any stores of kyber crystals."

Ezra followed Ahsoka into an open room with multiple ornate chairs forming a semicircle.

"This is where the Jedi masters would convene." Ahsoka explained to a curious looking Ezra knowing full well he would ask about it.

The two walked through the room and into a hallway in the opposite corner, revealing a series of rooms on each side. Ezra stopped in his tracks. He felt something reach out to him in the Force, trying to tell him something.

Then he heard voices behind him. They were faint and indecipherable, but there nonetheless. Ezra turned around, cautiously following the noise and the force as he walked back into the room that he and Ahsoka had only just vacated.

As soon as he entered, the light of his flashlight fell on two people: a man and woman dressed in strange looking clothes. Ezra pulled his saber to his hand but stopped before activating it when they made eye contact with him. Somehow, he knew they weren't there to hurt him. They felt friendly, calming even when compared to the volatile feeling the rest of his surroundings gave off.

The woman simply smiled at Ezra while the man nodded as they looked upon Ezra.

"What are you doing here? Who are you?" Ezra asked of the two cautiously.

"Ezra!" Ezra jumped in reaction as Ahsoka grabbed his shoulder looking at him like he was crazy.

"What are you doing, Ezra?" She asked, a hint of worry in her voice. Turning back to where he saw the man and woman, Ezra's eyes widened in fear to see nothing there.

"I heard voices so I came back here. You didn't see them?! They were just there." He asked trying to contain his panic. He was certain there were people there and Ahsoka somehow completely missed it.

Ahsoka tilted her head. She eyed him cautiously as she spoke. "Ezra, we're alone here. I found the armory and you were gone. I didn't hear or see anything."

"But I felt something in the Force! They reached out to me!" He exclaimed trying his best not to spiral out of control. It had felt so real to him.

"There's nobody here, Ezra come on." She shook her head in disbelief much to Ezra's frustration. "Come on, we're going to the armory." Ahsoka said. She placed her hand on his back as they exited the room.

Ahsoka showed Ezra the way through the hallway. The armory appeared to just be a massive empty room for sparring with a series of sliding doors along all of the walls.

"Ahsoka and Ezra entered the room. The latter hesitantly checked all of the corners to confirm that they were indeed alone. His mind was racing with a million questions. He knew he saw the man and the woman even if Ahsoka didn't believe him. What he didn't know was who they were, what they wanted, or how they disappeared so quickly. His mind was instantly distracted when Ahsoka opened a door that revealed a mannequin donned in full armor. Ezra could only assume it was for an ancient jedi."

Ezra stepped up next to Ahsoka and observed the armor. The younger of the two completely awestruck by the masterfully crafted set of armor.

"Is this how all Jedi used to dress?" He asked. Ahsoka smirked at Ezra.

"No, in my time we mostly wore robes. The ancient Jedi were much more militaristic due to there being such a strong Sith presence at the time." She answered as she instantly recalled her studies as a child. The time of the Old Republic was one of her favorite periods of history to study, particularly the legends of Revan and Bastila Shan. She had believed the stories about them were true until the Jedi Masters told her that they were merely legends and nothing more.

"Take it." Ahsoka added. She gestured towards the armor that Ezra was so fascinated with.

"What?" Ezra asked. He eyed her suspiciously to make sure she was serious.

"Why not?" Ahsoka shrugged. "You're going to need a good set of armor if you plan on surviving any real battles." She explained.

"It's over 4,000 years old, and besides _you_ don't have armor!" He replied.

"Yeah, but I need to move fast for my combat style," she quipped back. "You're not that fast, no offense."

"None taken." He answered as he recalled the first time he saw her in combat. He had never seen anybody move as quick before and it still amazed him to this day.

"Plus, your lightsaber style is based more on strength, which means you're going to need some good armor." Ahsoka gestured towards the suit in front of us. "And it does not get any better than jedi armor of the old order." She added.

"Alright, I guess."

 _Time to retire this old jacket anyways, I've just about outgrown it,_ Ezra said to himself as he noted how much he had grown in the past six months both in height and in stature thanks to Rex's insane workout plan.

Ezra looked back up at the armor in awe. He wondered how anybody could see a Jedi Knight in that and not be either inspired or completely intimidated.

The armor was light gray with a hood that covered most of the face. It had thick curved pauldrons and a silver chest piece to match that came down into the chest piece with a separate piece covering the abdomen with a line of pouches on either side. The arms had black composite vambraces and gloves with the same type of armor on the back.. The legs were black, thinner armor that started at the thigh and went down to the shins.

Ezra reached out to feel the fabric holding it all together to find that it was both soft and incredibly dense.

"At least it looks comfortable." He said. He began carefully taking each piece of the suit off of the mannequin and folding it into his bag.

"How is it even holding together after this long?" Ezra asked. He placed the final piece, the hood into his bag.

"The jedi built to last." Ahsoka repeated. "We will still need to do some extensive stress testing on it when we get back though to make sure it will hold up in combat. Armor isn't any good if it doesn't keep you in one piece."

"Hey, I do a pretty good job of keeping myself in one piece." Ezra replied as he feigned insult. Ahsoka merely rolled her eyes in response and continued searching the rest of the room.

Once they had searched the rest of the room finding nothing else of significance, the two Jedi moved onto another room across the hallway they had come from. Ezra still checked every dark corner, his nerves still tingling from the force.

The new room was filled with ancient holo-terminals and data pads. One of which Ahsoka picked up. Her thumb gently pressed the power button, the screen flickered gently in response.

"I don't think the Jedi built to last _that_ much." Ezra remarked.

Her brow raised in happy surprise as it slowly powered up.

"That thing still works?" Ezra asked curiously.

"Yeah, it's unbelievable. This looks like a roster of the Jedi who trained here." She replied, engrossed in the information of the datapad as she scrolled down the list. Ezra saw her jaw slightly drop and a small smile come across her face. It was the kind of look a child would get when they could prove they were right about something.

"What is it?" Ezra asked, sensing her sense of astonishment.

"She's real." Ahsoka replied smiling, indicating for Ezra to come look.

Ezra cocked his head curiously and looked at the datapad himself. His face turning ghost white as his eyes came upon what Ahsoka was looking at. It was a woman, dark brown hair that was tied up with loose strands on each side framing her sharp features and blue eyes.

"That's her." Ezra whispered, backing away from the datapad. The picture of the now too familiar face looked back at him. Ahsoka noticed Ezra's discomfort her eyes brimming with concern. "That's the woman I saw, Ahsoka."

"You saw Bastila Shan?!" Ahsoka lowered the datapad, looking upon Ezra with emotion he couldn't quite identify. Whether it was fear, envy, shock, he had no idea, whatever it was though, he knew it wasn't good.

Ezra blankly nodded in response, his hands clammy with anxiety. He had no idea who this woman was or why or how he could have seen her. He had experienced visions of the future before, but nothing like this.

"Who is she?" Ezra asked finally regaining the ability to speak.

"She's one of the greatest Jedi to ever live, I always suspected she was real but never had any hard evidence."

Ezra shuffled nervously, the last thing he wanted was some ancient jedi reaching out him. "Well why would she and that other man reach out to me?"

"The man." Ahsoka said, her demeanor quickly changing to frantic. "If Bastila was real then that means that…" She pulled up the datapad again and hastily scrolled through the list of names

"Means what Ahsoka?!" Ezra yelled.

Stopping on one, she pulled up the profile, revealing a picture of a stoic looking man with a buzzcut, thick black beard and piercing blue eyes. The name below the picture read Jaden Montari.

"Was this the man you saw, Ezra?" Ahsoka asked. Her voice was as laced with anxiety and concern as his mind.

"Yes." Ezra answered, his eyes hazy with disorder as his mind reeled.

"Okay." Ahsoka slipped the datapad into her bag. "We have to go."

"What? Why?" She placed her hands on his shoulders and guided Ezra out of the room back into the dark hall. "Ahsoka you need to tell me what's going on!"

"Nothing good." She replied, trying her best to keep focused on getting Ezra out of there. She knew the stories of those two and now that she confirmed they were true, she knew whatever they wanted with Ezra was truly nothing good.

"Oh!" Ezra quipped back sarcastically "I didn't realize! Thanks for letting me know."

"Quiet!" Ahsoka pushed Ezra through a doorway as a beam of light shot down the hallway.

"They're in here somewhere." A mechanized voice echoed down the hall to us.

"You do hear those voices, right?" Ezra checked with Ahsoka who merely nodded. "Okay that's good. Two ghosts is enough for one day."

"Stormtroopers." Ahsoka ignored his last comment, identifying the noise of armored footsteps and mechanized chatter.

"They must have found out about this place or followed us. We need to get out of here." The woman whispered harshly as a pair of footsteps came down the hallway towards the room they were hidden in.

Ezra and Ahsoka quickly moved to each side of the door, pressing their backs into the walls and readying their sabers for a fight. Ezra reached out to sense the troopers, one of them checked the first room down the hallway and was currently in it while the other approached their room.

Ezra took a deep breath, pushing all his worries and concerns about the ghosts into the back of his mind. He needed to be centered, just like he had been taught. Distractions in battle would only hold him back.

The trooper stopped right outside their door, light pouring through the threshold into the overgrown room while the two Jedi hid on each side of the wall preparing to pounce. Then the trooper turned around, looking into the room across from them.

Ahsoka instantly capitalized on their advantage she dove into the back of the trooper, pressing the hilt of her saber against his back as she activated it, instantly impaling him while throwing them both into the cover of the room he had just been investigating.

Ezra followed suit on taking advantage and slid out of cover to take out the other nearby trooper who was just leaving the room he had been in. As soon as the trooper stepped out of the doorway he saw Ezra who sidestepped his raised blaster and slashed down with his activated saber cutting the man's blaster in half.

"Wha-" The trooper exclaimed but was cut short as Ezra extended his open hand towards his chest and threw him with the force. Before he could even scream his head smacked the hard wall with a satisfying crack. The soldier slid down to the ground unconscious from the impact.

Ezra quickly hid the body, force pulling it into the room it was just in as Ashoka made her way back into the room of the Jedi council. They darted into cover each behind a chair as three more enemies moved into the same area, their lights sliding across the ancient walls as Ezra and Ahsoka hid in the darkness.

"Hey." Ezra heard one of the soldier's whisper to the others. The footsteps stopped then all three flashlights pointed towards the chairs, the light filtering between them.

Ezra and Ahsoka glanced at each other with a knowing look, they had to wait for the right moment, if they attacked too soon one of them might alert the rest of the detachment across the temple. If they waited too long, they would be dead.

Ezra pressed his back against his cover, holding his saber in a reverse grip like Ahsoka did with hers. He could sense two soldiers approaching his cover, one on each side while another approached from the far side of his master.

 _Almost._ Ezra steeled his mind, preparing himself to dispatch his enemies as efficiently and painlessly as possible. Despite how much he hated the Empire, he had never enjoyed killing imperials.

A white armored foot came into view on Ezra's right.

 _Now!_

Ezra activated his saber stood and thrusted his arm backward piercing the trooper on his right through the neck. Before the other could react, the young jedi swiftly turned and slashed across the other's neck as he fell back into a crouch.

Both soldiers fell to the ground simultaneously, the second one decapitated. Ahsoka dispatched her enemy as well with two angled attacks across his chest effectively bisecting him.

"Well done, Ezra." Ahsoka said proudly causing Ezra to nod his head grimly, he didn't have the same penchant for killing as Zeb but he was impressed with his improvements as well, his lightsaber skills had come further in the past six months than they had in the previous two years. "But we've still got work to do."

* * *

Back on the Ghost on Atollon, the remaining members sat around the table in the break room, a somber blanket in the air as Hera spoke, trying to reassure her family as much as herself.

"I'm sure they will be fine." She assured Sabine Seb and Chopper. A calm but worried look in her eyes. She partially blamed herself for this. Kanan had warned her about joining the actual rebellion. He warned her about how war could change people and tear families apart. She had just never believed it would happen to her family. "I trust Ahsoka." She added glancing at Sabine, the only one who didn't trust the former Jedi. "Besides, Ezra can handle himself." She finished recalling how he had been on his own when he first joined their crew.

" _Kaysh mirsh solus."_ Sabine muttered angrily.

"Hey!" Hera chastised her. Sabine looked up at her, a questioning look in her eye. "You know the rules, Sabine!" Hera explained as she pointed at the sign on the wall behind her, knowing exactly where it was and what it said because she was the one who put it there. "Basic and Binary only at the table." She repeated the rules from the sign.

Sabine sighed, her gaze falling down to her hands as she fiddled with her spray paint canister. "Sorry, Hera."

"It's okay, sweetie." Hera replied softly, gently patting the mandalorians hand to comfort her. Sabine tried to smile back at Hera trying to comfort her but only came out with a weak attempt that convinced nobody there.

 _Poor girl finally starts warming up to somebody and then he just abandons her without a word._ Hera says to herself wanting to slap Ezra for hurting the girl like that, at the same time though, she just wanted to hug him, over the past few years she had started to look at him as a son and missed him like one as well.

"Now, what did you say? In Basic this time." Hera clarified, nodding her head back to the sign of ship rules behind her.

"He's an idiot." Sabine sighed out.

"On that we can agree." Hera replied getting a genuine smirk and a glint of humor in Sabines eyes.

Zeb finally interjected after being silent for so long. "Am I the only one who finds it weird that we can insult people at the table but we can't do it in a different language?"

Hera looked at him, a calm but intimidating glare in her eyes. "Yes, because it's my ship, my rules." getting an evil mechanical laugh from Chopper.

"Yes, Hera." Zeb replied indignantly, not wanting to instigate the wrath of the ship's captain.

"Now, regarding Ezra." Hera brought them back on topic.

"What do we do? By the sounds of it, the kid is spiraling out of control." Zeb said in reference to what Sabine had told them about her encounter with Ezra before he left.

"For now, there's nothing we can do." Hera answered knowing it wasn't the answer they wanted. It was the only answer she had though.

"We can't just do nothing, Hera! You didn't see him in the hangar! Sabine protested. "He needs help." She added, her eyes tearing up which she quickly blinked away. "He needs us."

Hera sighed and hung her head. She promised everybody this wouldn't happen, that they would stick together, now both Kanan and Ezra were gone. The man she had come to love and the kid she had come to look at as a son. Gone.

 _Kanan warned me, I should have listened. He's the one who fought in an actual war, all I ever did was watch my father fight._ Hera lectured herself, thinking about how none of this would have happened if they had just stuck to Lothal.

"Well, right now. Ezra is on the other side of the galaxy with Ahsoka, so we have to trust in her to protect him." Hera answered as calmly as possible, she had to comfort them, keep them together and focused.

"I miss Ezra as much as everybody else, and I worry about him." She explained. "But Ezra can take care of himself, and he isn't the same kid that we picked up on Lothal anymore." Hera said, her mind going back to simpler times when they had first picked up the scrawny and excitable boy.

"He'll come around, we're his family." Hera said. "And Kanan will come back. He promised us he would." She finished shakily, wishing that she knew both of those statements to be true, but she didn't. For all she knew, they could both die or be dead. But Sabine and Zeb didn't need to hear that. They needed hope, so that's what Hera would try to give them. Hope.

* * *

"We found Echo squad in the northeast quadrant. They're all dead." The trooper below Ezra explained to his squad Sergeant. Both were unaware of the Jedi in the tree above them. Having been separated from Ahsoka Ezra had dispatched a squad by himself and moved into the courtyard of the enclave.

Above him, the night sky was covered with clouds, keeping the young jedi shrouded in darkness above his unknowing enemies.

"Damnit. What about Alpha and Charlie?" The Sergeant asked. Ezra could feel the uneasiness in the corporal.

"Still haven't reported in sir." The corporal answered, shakily.

"Inquisitor isn't going to be happy." The Sergeant replied.

 _There's more Inquisitors?!_ Ezra cursed silently, he had hoped that they were done for after Malachor.

"Have Delta regroup here. Inform the Inquisitor that we need backup." The sergeant ordered.

The corporal repeated the orders into his comms leaving Ezra to wait.

 _I need to find Ahsoka. Once I take care of this group I'll comm her._

"Sir." a trooper stated as him and three others file out into the courtyard. One of them carrying a large energized baton.

 _Alright. Remember what Ahsoka says. Watch your footwork. Keep moving._

Ezra focused himself, taking a deep breath to gain his center.

 _Okay._

Ezra dropped down from the tree silently landing between the corporal and sergeant. Activating his saber he drew a wide arc at neck level dropping both of them. The jedi instantly dived into a roll putting him next to his next target as they fired upon his old location.

His saber lashed out instantly disposing of the unlucky soldier. He reached out and force pushed the falling body into another trooper knocking him to the ground.

 _Keep moving, stay focused._ Ezra gritted his teeth, forcing himself to remember his training.

Two left now.

The baton trooper circled around as the other fired one. Ezra lazily deflected the blast returning it to it's sender.

The baton trooper swung down at Ezra who rolled past the slow attack. As he rolled by he attacked low, severing the soldier's leg at the back of the knee. In a fit a of pain the man collapsed to the ground, clutching his maimed leg. Ezra quickly silenced him ending his pain by putting him to sleep with the force.

"Impressive." Ezra spun around raising his sword with both hands to see a ghastly blue Twi'lek in black armor with yellow eyes.

 _This must be the Inquisitor._

"You left this one alive though." The twi'lek said menacingly as he approached the stormtrooper Ezra had taken out with his dead comrade. The trooper was just coming to, groaning as he tried to push himself up.

His efforts were immediately cut short as a beam of red pierced his back, the Inquisitor standing above him forcing his saber down into the man. With a dying grunt the trooper fell back the ground. The inquisitor pulled his saber up, flourishing it casually. "Very sloppy Mr. Bridger."

"Where is your master?" The inquisitor asked curiously. Ezra kept his feet moving, the two force users circling each other like dogs about to pounce.

"I'm here alone."

Ezras stomach turned as his opponent laughed in response, his sharp teeth as yellow and corrupt as his eyes.

"I doubt that. You're too…" The inquisitor's eyes bored into Ezra, making him shift uncomfortably as if he was forced to look at something disgusting. "...weak. Yes I doubt that you're strong enough to have killed all of these men."

"How about you stop talking and we'll find out." Ezra taunted, narrowing his eyes as he stopped his circling and held ground.

"Oh gladly." The inquisitor instantly lunged at Ezra, lashing out with his saber only to be blocked and sidestepped. In response Ezra used his lightsaber form to his advantage. He immediately moved into offensive. Using the momentum of the inquisitors lunge against him, Ezra put him on the defensive and stepped forward, attacking with strength and speed as a counterattack.

Emerald and crimson clashed with each move, illuminating the courtyard in color as the two duelled. The inquisitor jabbed at Ezra's midsection with a menacing snarl. Ezra responded kindly with a riposte and a kick to the chest sending his opponent staggering as the air was pushed out of his chest in a satisfying heave.

Ezra kept his attacks up, finding satisfaction in the inquisitors frustration each time he countered one of his opponents frantic attacks. Whoever this new Inquisitor was, Ezra could tell that he was weak, his form was sloppy and he projected his movements. If there were more of them, this one was the runt of the litter.

Ezra's offensive onslaught was cut off by a dash of movement behind his opponent which he quickly identified as Ahsoka. To his relief she seemed unharmed as she gracefully slid into the area unaware to the inquisitor.

 _Good she can throw him off and we can finish this._ Ezra scowled in disappointment as he barely parried an attack at his side in time, the inquisitor was starting to get frantic and unpredictable. In impatience Ezra kicked low at the Twi'lek then brought his saber down at his head with both hands. Blocking just in time the two fell into a saber lock, Ezra pushing down against his shorter opponent and quickly gaining the advantage much to his satisfaction.

The Inquisitor jumped back from Ezra giving him some space, his cocky attitude replaced by tension. He had severely underestimated Ezra who had been training non-stop for the past six months.

Breathing in and exhaling, Ezra took a breath reminding himself to keep his focus.

The Inquisitor backed up defensively, turning so that he could see both Ahsoka and Ezra. He was out of his league and projected that he was aware of it. He backed to the edge of the courtyard, stepping into the darkness of the temple, his red saber humming with energy and casting a menacing light on his silhouette.

Ezra eagerly followed, ready to finish the fight.

His approach was cut short at the sight of another figure behind the inquisitor. The first thing he noticed was the horns.

 _No. Not him._

Ezra blinked, hoping his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Another saber ignited behind the inquisitor, piercing his chest causing his eyes to widen in a combination of shock, pain, and paralysis. The newcomer stepped out of the shadows, wearing a satisfied look on his face as the Twi'lek fell to the ground silently.

The dark force users lips twisted into a nefarious smile "It's good to see you, apprentice." Maul pronounced innocently.

Ezra winced at the title given to him by Maul, it haunted him every night and now here Maul was, still calling him his apprentice, reminding him how weak, how foolish he was on Malachor.

"Maul." Ezra growled, saying the name as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. The young jedi began pacing, a knot forming in his stomach and the heat of anger flooding his mind.

"He's not your apprentice, Maul." Ahsoka said.

"Oh but he is, whether you like it or not." Maul replied casually as if facing off against two Jedi was a trivial matter to him. Gesturing towards Ezra while giving Ahsoka a sideways glances he explained. "Can't you feel that anger? That hatred?"

Ezra felt Ahsoka reach out to him much to his annoyance, he was angry, but he had every reason to be. Maul had betrayed him and he was stupid enough to trust him in the first place. Ezra pushed back against Ahsoka, shielding his mind like he had been taught.

"I should have known you didn't die on Malachor." Ezra said, clenching his jaw, his eyes narrowing into a menacing stare.

"Yes. You should have. Instead you ran like a coward."

Ezra stepped forward, preparing to attack but was cut off by Ahsoka.

"What do you want?" She asked desperately. Maul eyed Ezra with entertainment, a knowing look in his eyes. Ezra was ready to snap and Maul knew it.

Losing interest in his subject Maul answered the Togrutas question. "Oh nothing, I was here of my own accord. You see, I'm looking for something very specific, I thought this place would have the information I needed." He answered, flourishing his saber as if bored. "Running into my apprentice and Kenobi's little pet, well that was just a happy coincidence."

Ezra rolled his eyes. "There's nothing happy about it." He belted back getting nothing but an innocent shrug from Maul, only causing his anger to increase. The fact that the Zabrak could be so calm was irritating to Ezra, after what he had done and show no shame in it was infuriating to Ezra.

Maul tilted his head at Ezra, an almost playful glint in his eyes that only fuelled Ezra's rage.

 _This is just a game to him._

"In the spirit of knowing who is alive and who is dead, I take it that the fool that you called your master didn't make it?" Ezra's eyes lit with fury as he finally snapped, the final insult to his former master was too much.

"Ezra wait!" Ahsoka called out in warning, but it didn't matter. Maul had achieved his goal and Ezra attacked, lashing out in a flurry of jabs and swings, all of which Maul deflected or dodged, his body a blur of red and black as he backed into the dark hallways of the temple.

"His name is Kanan!" Ezra shouted. Maul grinned and force pushed Ezra away causing him to slide across the ground back into the courtyard while Maul defended against Ahsoka's rapid onslaught of attacks.

Ezra jumped back to his feet, charging head on towards Maul and pushing Ahsoka aside. Maul growled at Ezra's re-entry and feigned an attack at Ahsoka causing her to step back then he jabbed at Ezra. The young jedi followed his instincts, letting his adrenaline take control as he sidestepped the jab and retaliated with a chop directed at the hilt of Maul's saber.

Maul pulled his saber back close to his chest giving Ahsoka an opportunity to sweep at his legs with a kick which he lazily jumped over, his feet making just enough clearance to miss Ahsoka's foot.

 _How is he so fast!_

Ezra felt his impatience growing but pushed it back, the corners of his vision were blurry, his heart was racing but he couldn't feel it. All he could see was Maul, grinning at him as he did everything in his power to kill his opponent.

Maul spinned away from an attack by Ahsoka planting himself directly in front of Ezra, his eyes gleaning with evil as they stared into Ezras, Ezra raised his hands to push Maul back but Maul cut him off, rearing his head back and bringing it back to headbutt Ezra with a sickening crunch of bones.

Ezra staggered back grabbing his nose in agony, his entire face on fire. Pulling his hand away from his nose he saw his hand was covered in blood.

"Too slow, apprentice." Maul goaded Ezra as he took a step back from his opponents.

"Stop calling me that!" Ezra yelled, his vision blurring in pain and fury. He took his saber in both hands, gripping it so tightly his knuckles would have looked white if they weren't slick with crimson blood.

Ezra stepped forward swinging down with all of his strength, Maul deflected the attack just in time redirecting it to Ezras right and exposing his back.

Maul capitalized on the opening, slashing at Ezras back who managed to angle his saber behind him just in time to deflect the potential death blow. Now on the defensive, Ezra was forced back by a series of attacks by his opponent, pushing him in between Maul and Ahsoka.

Maul caught Ezra in a saber lock, the Zabrak effectively pushing the human back. The green and red sabers casting a near blinding light on the two as they fought for the upper hand. Ezra pushed one foot back, grounded it, then pushed back against Maul gaining some ground.

"Yes! Use your anger, Ezra!." Maul yelled, recognizing the look Ezra knew he had in his eyes.

"Shut up!" Ezra barked in response. Maul jumped back from the lock then deflected an attack by Ahsoka and followed up with a kick that she was too slow to dodge. His metal foot impacted with her chest with a heavy thud and sent her into the wall, the acrobatic jedi fell to the floor with a gasp as the air left her lungs from both the kick and hitting the wall.

Maul slashed at Ezra again pushing him back then slashed down at Ahsoka which she barely managed to block with crossed sabers. Her jaw clenched in determination. Maul rebounded off of the block and swung his saber back at Ezra.

Ezra parried and slashed back at Maul but missed as he stepped back and fell to one knee with a scream and an explosion of sparks. Ahsoka had slashed one of Mauls robotic legs at the back of it's knee, the electronics were shorting out and sparks were sputtering out onto the ground.

 _Now! I can finish this!_ Ezra told himself, hastily swinging towards Mauls neck but was cut short by a massive wave of force pushing him back into the wall. All of his breath was instantly pushed out of him and something cracked eliciting a scream of pain from Ezra as his back and head impacted the wall.

Ezra's vision blurred and threatened to fade to black. His head, ribs, and nose screaming in protest as he forced himself back onto his feet.

By the time Ezra recovered, Maul was already on the run, his sparking leg causing him to limp and leaving a trail of embers behind him.

 _No, you're not getting away this time!_

Ezra ran after him, ignoring Ahsokas pleas behind him who still hadn't recovered from both the kick and push. He blocked out the pleas to wait, not even registering them, he only had one thing on his mind. Maul was on the run, Ezra had to end him now, before the sith could hurt anymore else.

Ezra quickly gained on the limping sith who turned behind a corner, his droid leg whirring as it no doubt worked in overdrive.

"This ends here, Maul!" Ezra extended his hand as he approached the corner preparing to pull Maul back with the force. Instead he was greeted by a flash of red and searing agony at his shoulder that shot through his entire body. Before Ezra could let out a scream of pain his body was promptly thrown back into the wall, his body instantly falling like a ragdoll after the impact.

Ezra rolled onto his back, he couldn't feel anything. His ears were ringing like a bomb had just gone off in his face and he struggled to breathe. Every time he tried to inhale it's like his lungs gave up halfway through, leaving him out of breath and wheezing painfully.

A flickering amber and yellow light illuminated the now spinning ceiling above Ezra, then a block of red with black in it and familiar horns.

"On the contrary, Ezra." Ezra heard the voice echoing through the ringing. "This has only begun, and now that I have what I need from here. I can finish it." Maul said, kneeling down over Ezra bringing his face more into focus for the disoriented jedi.

"Once I find what I need. And once I get the holocron from you, and trust me I will get it." Ezra turned away from Maul as the Zabrak revealed a toothy smile. "I'll have the power to destroy both the Empire, your petty rebellion, and everybody you have ever loved."

"No…" Ezra whispered weakly, taking in another failed breath as his chest collapsed in protest. Feebly, Ezra tried to grab Maul but failed, his left arm didn't come into sight and his right arm was pinned beneath his torso. He had completely lost control of his body.

"You are not as strong in the force as you think you are." Maul goaded. "If only you would join me, I could teach you how to be stronger."

"Goodbye for now…" The red blur fell away from Ezra and fell into a whisper. "...apprentice."

Ezra's vision blurred further and the black encroached at the sides, his vision falling into a tunnel as another familiar voice cut through the ringing in his ears.

"Ezra!" An orange face came into view, revealing large blue eyes wide with fear and concern as she looked upon Ezra.

 _What did he do to me?_ Ezra asked himself. The way Ahsoka was looking at him he would have thought that he looked dead.

"I'm fine." Ezra whispered. The tunnel vision turning red and black. "Just need to…" He drew in another raspy breath that his lungs barely held onto. "...catch my breath." He wheezed. Finally, he lost his last bit of energy, his eyes sliding shut leaving him to fall into complete darkness.

* * *

 **Sorry for the lack of Ezrabine/Sabezra in this chapter, I promise this is one of the few chapters that will have none. For those of you who are Star Wars: KOTOR fans, I'm sure you have a general idea of what is going on this chapter. For those who know absolutely nothing about KOTOR, fear not it will all be explained so you don't need to run around doing research of your own. Anyways, please please review, follow, favorite, and PM's are welcome. I prefer that if you have any questions you PM me rather than put it on a review, that way I can answer your questions without spoiling anything for anybody else, plus it's fun to talk about this stuff!**


	4. Rebel Handhunters

Chapter 3: Rebel Handhunters

Ezra couldn't feel anything. His body was entirely numb.

He could hear something rolling, people talking. His ears were still ringing.

 _There's so many voices._ Ezra remarked, he opened his eyes and immediately regretted the decision. The bright light burned his retinas causing him to close them again.

Somebody was yelling. Ezra recognized the voice but couldn't figure out who it was just yet. Daring to open his eyes again, he peaked out seeing a thin green face with emerald eyes. Hera.

Ezra deducted from the lights passing behind Hera's head that they were moving, he was on his back, and she was walking beside him.

"Ezra! Can you hear me?!"

Ezra opened his mouth, trying just to say Hera but couldn't speak. His mouth was dry and he just couldn't bring the words out.

"Karabast, how is that kid awake?" Ezra turned to see a familiar pair of purple ears and yellow eyes on his other side.

"Severe concussion, collapsed lung, spinal bruising possible break, cauterized dismember…" Ezra's hearing faded out, the voice of whoever was speaking blocked out by a high pitched ringing in his ears again.

"What happened?!" A familiar panicked voice asked as the ringing faded away again. Ezra recognized the voice and saw a colorful blur behind Zeb. The bright colors they wore made him dizzy.

 _Sabine._

Ezra reached out to her, a sudden urgency hitting him. He had to talk to her, she was his best friend. He had to tell her not to worry, that he would be okay.

"Sedate him." An unfamiliar voice said from in front of Ezra, possibly a doctor.

"Is he going to be okay?!" Sabine yelled, the worry in her voice was so evident that even Ezra noticed it.

"Sabine." Ezra barely managed to whisper.

A bit of pressure pinched Ezra on his arm. He saw a syringe, a thumb pressing down on the injector. Then he fell back into a darkness.

* * *

He looked so peaceful, but the reality was far from it. Maul had mutilated him, scarred him permanently, and there was nothing she could do. Nothing that even the doctors could do. Sabine sat next to Ezra having just been pulled from his first round of bacta treatment. The others gathered around the doctor in the other side of the room discussing the young jedi's health.

"Normally, we would be able to just give him a regular cybernetic arm." The doctor explained carefully.

"But?" Hera asked.

The doctor hung her head shamefully, visibly showing how much it bothered her that there was nothing more she could do. "...but the nerve damage is so extensive that he would never be able to gain complete control of the arm." She explained carefully.

 _No…_ Sabine thought to herself. _Not him too._ Ezra would break if he couldn't fight anymore. She knew she would and he had been through worse than her. His parents were killed, his home was taken from him, Kanan left him, and now this. Fighting was all he had left.

"I'm sorry." The doctor offered her condolences gently. "But he will never fight again unless we can get him a top of the line cybernetic, which we simply can't afford."

"Karabast." Zeb cursed.

"Hmm, wha-where am I?" Sabine jumped at the noise of Ezra mumbling, his head gently rolled to the side, his eyes barely open a crack as he looked directly at Sabine.

"Uhh...should he be awake?" Zeb asked pointing a finger at the talking boy.

"This is common." The doctor explained. Hastily, she pushed Zeb aside and moved to Ezra's bedside, checking the stats on the monitor. "Yes, as I suspected he is just in a state of delirium. It'll pass soon and he'll fall back asleep."

"Is he in pain?" Sabine asked. She placed her hands on the side of the bed as she watched him keep trying to pick his head up. Her concern for him quickly spiraled out of control just as much as his coordination.

"Can't feel anything…" Ezra hummed in response in a sing-songy voice.

"Sabine." He mumbled. Sabine gasped as his fingers found her hand.

"Uh-hey Ezra." She felt her cheeks burn as his fingers wrapped around her hand.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" She asked, wracking her mind with what Ezra could possible be sorry about in this situation.

"Y'know...for yelling at you earlier." His soft voice whispered to her causing her to laugh as tears formed in her eyes.

"You don't need to apologize, Ezra. I should be the one apologizing." She choked trying to hold the knot in her throat at bay. It never ceased to amaze her how kind he was.

 _Even when delirious and without an ounce of self awareness. He still just wants to help people._ Sabine smiled at the return of his long lost kindness. Even if he wasn't aware, it was still him.

"You're smiling." Ezra whispered gently. "I've always loved that smile." he smirked as his eyes finally closed entirely. " _Bic as mesh'la as ca'tra."_

The smile dropped from Sabine's face as her jaw dropped slightly. "Ezra, what did you just say?" He didn't respond, he was completely asleep again.

"What did he say?" Hera asked, her eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"I don't know." Sabine lied as she looked up at the rest of the crew. She avoided eye contact with Rex who looked at her knowingly, his arms crossed. He knew Mandalorian as well as she did, but neither of them knew that Ezra knew a single word of it. Just like she had never expected he would say something like that to her. His pronunciation was perfect, the words didn't translate as directly as he probably thought but there was no way he didn't learn those words on purpose.

Just like that, with a single sentence, Ezra had changed the way that Sabine had thought about him. He wasn't some kid just trying to hit on her and get laid. He truly cared for her and this whole time she'd pushed him away and never appreciated him. Never appreciated how much it hurt him that she acted like that to him and he never gave up on her.

 _I've done nothing for him._ Sabine thought to herself, the tears in her eyes finally falling down her face.

"I have to do something." The Mandalorian said as she wiped the tears from her face. She stood up, knowing full well what she had to do. She had to fix this. Without a second thought, she turned from her seat next to Ezra and walked out of the medical bay.

"Sabine, where do you think you're going?" Hera yelled. The young Mandalorian stopped in her tracks, surprised it took Hera that long to call her out for leaving. Sabine turned around to the entrance of the med-bay everybody in tow behind the Twi'lek. Zeb and Rex were standing on both sides of Hera while Chopper was stuck behind them. Behind Chopper stood the shadow of Ahsoka. Sabine grimaced at the mere sight of the older woman. The same person who had assured them all that she would protect Ezra.

"You heard them, Hera! The nerve damage was so bad that he won't be able to fight ever again unless he can get a top of the line prosthetic." Sabine responded.

 _Never fight again._ The words still echoed in her ears. Words that would crush any rebel, particularly Ezra. Fighting the Empire was his life. She didn't want to think of what he would do if he couldn't help anymore. She knew what she would do if she were in his situation.

 _No_. She told herself. Sabine pushed the thought of losing Ezra from her mind. She had already lost her biological family and now Kanan. Ezra was her best friend. She would die before she lost him or let him be taken out of the fight, regardless of how complicated things were between them.

"And we will get one." Hera answered.

"How?" Sabine asked angrily. "With what credits, Hera? The only place we can get high grade prosthetics like that are on the black market and we don't have that kind of money."

"Well then, any bright ideas kid?" Rex chipped in crossing his arms.

"Yeah." Sabine replied putting a hand on her hip and pointing back at the med-bay. "The doctors said that the best cybernetic prosthetics are made for the Empire by Solstice Tech. So I'm going to do what Ezra would have done for any of us. I'm going to break into Solstice Tech and steal one."

"Sounds like a stupid way to get killed." Zeb said as he pressed a fist into his open palm cracking his knuckles. "I'm in." he added on with a toothy grin.

" _I'm coming too!"_ Chopper chimed in.

"Well I'm coming too then." Rex added. The old clone stepping forward and giving an approving nod to Sabine who promptly returned the gesture.

"I have to stay here with Ezra for when he wakes up." Hera said. "Take the Ghost."

"Thank's Hera." Sabine responded. It wasn't often Hera trusted her beloved ship to somebody else, even to another member of her crew.

"Just be careful please." Hera pleaded. Sabine didn't respond. If she agreed she would be lying. If she disagreed she would only make Hera worry more.

"I could be of use as well." Ahsoka pressed forward from the med-bay. The crew fell silent, looking to Sabine cautiously.

"You've done enough, already." Sabine responded. She ignored the shameful look on the Togrutas face and nodded to her comrades. "Let's move."

* * *

Despite the circumstances, Sabine couldn't help but be impressed by Hosnian Prime. The plaza she stood in was basked in sun, marred only by the shadows of the expertly designed skyscrapers and the leaves of carefully planted trees. People bustled around her going on with their lives, enjoying the weather, spending time with their families, or simply going to and from work. Everybody seemed content, even despite the looming banners of the Empire and presence of stormtroopers. It was nothing like the planets she had been to on the outer rim. People here actually seemed happy. Sabine never felt so out of place, especially without her armor on.

The team had agreed that the best way to make it through one of the most populated and Imperial dominated planets was to attract as little attention as possible. Which meant no armor. Instead, Sabine had painted Chopper to match that of a Solstice maintenance droid. Rex wore a simple grey suit akin to what some of the passing businessmen walking in and out of Solstice Tech Headquarters were wearing. Sabine wore a brown leather jacket with a simple white undershirt and black pants. She was too young to dress professional like Rex and Mandalorian armor would draw far too much attention in a core world. So the look of the unassuming teenager was what she was stuck with.

Now the team waited for Chopper who had somehow managed to disable an incoming Solstice Tech astromech, steal the droids ID, then simply roll into Solstice Tech HQ. How the grumpy droid had managed such a feat Sabine did not know. She didn't ask and didn't plan on it. When Chopper set his mind to something, he got it done.

Now all they had to do was wait on his signal.

"Zeb stop squirming and act normal!" Sabine chastised her poorly disguised teammate from her post in the open city plaza. The Lasat wore a dark long sleeved robe to hide his bo-rifle with a hood to cover his revealing features.

"This hood itches!" Zeb pleaded in response through the comms. "Do I have to wear this blasted thing?"

"What and show all of the Imperial troopers that there's a member of a supposedly extinct species right outside?" Sabine asked. Zeb sighed then relented. A Lasat out in the open would attract attention considering that all surviving members of the species were declared public enemies and wanted by the empire.

" _Ready. Alarm in 60 seconds. Front Doors locked in 65. "_ Chopper said through the comms.

"Good. Do it." Sabine replied as she took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She wasn't normally so on edge, usually when she was antsy a mission calmed her down and steadied her mind. Something felt wrong to her though, like something was missing but she couldn't quite place it.

Sabine tried to keep her mind occupied as the same nagging feeling entered her head. This time the image of Ezra accompanied it, his one hand gripping hers so tightly that it almost hurt. The sound of his voice as he said those words to her. She closed her eyes and sighed in frustration.

She didn't know what to think. Sabine hated not knowing what to think more than anything. To be so out of control of her own mind was infuriating. Part of her just said he was delusional and didn't mean it. She wanted to be angry at him for it, to be annoyed like she normally was when he use to hit on her or flirt with her. The other part of her longed to hear it again. It felt different that time, so genuine. It made her feel like she belonged there beside him and she just didn't know it yet. A heat rose to her cheeks as she considered saying the words in her head again.

 _No._ She stopped herself from repeating it for the hundredth time. It would only distract her more, only confuse her more.

Sabine wasn't sure what to think of what Ezra had said to her, but she was sure of what she was going to do. What she _had_ to do. Without delay, Sabine pushed all her thoughts about Ezra, about what he said, about what to do all the way into the back of her mind and locked it away where it would remain forever. She had a job to do, and that's what she was going to focus on.

She walked towards the steps leading towards the door and up them. Sabine spotted Rex and Zeb in the corner of her eye making their way through the large row of glass doors ahead of her.

The doors automatically opened as Sabine approached. She walked through the threshold and into the stark white lobby. Before her was the security checkpoint, armed guards and biometric scanners to make sure only company employees who were scheduled to work were coming in. It was the middle of the day and many of the employees were on lunch break so the lobby was crowded with employees coming and going. Behind Sabine, the door closed with a telling click. It, like all of the other front doors, had just been locked by Chopper.

 _Perfect_. Sabine remarked to herself, they needed as big of a crowd as possible if this was going to work. A loud blaring noise interrupted Sabine's thought, a klaxon alarm coming from the intercoms. The lobby crowd stopped what they were doing beginning to make their way towards the front doors to leave. An artificial voice came on the intercom to accompany the alarm.

" _Warning. Warning. Airborne toxic agents detected. Please evacuate immediately."_ The crowd's movement quickly turned into a frenzy. Sabine, let the crowd flow around her until she was at the back of the crowd that had stopped at the doors.

"The doors are locked!" She heard a panicked man yell.

"We're trapped!" Another voice called out over the blaring alarm and repeating warning. The crowd began yelling and pushing, threatening to turn into full blown hysteria. Sabine merely remained at the back of the crowd, drawing as little attention as possible.

"There's an emergency exit in the back!" She heard Rex yell in his booming voice.

"He's right let's go!" One man yelled, turning from the doors and running towards the security gates. The security guard grabbed him by the collar and stopped him but was quickly overrun by the rest of the employees. The gates were instantly overrun and bypassed by every employee. Sabine, Rex, and Zeb shuffled their way into the center of the crowd and pushed through the gates as well.

Once through the gates, they stuck with the crowd until Zeb pulled Sabine by the arm and out of the crowd into a four-way junction in the hallway.

"There's Chop." Zeb said once Sabine had regained her balance. Down the hallway adjacent to where all the panicked employees were running, was Chopper.

" _Hurry up! You organics are so slow."_ The droid whined in binary.

"Yeah yeah, whatever you bucket of bolts." Zeb groaned back as the three rebels jogged down to the astromech droid.

"Where's the security room, Chop?" Sabine asked as they reached the droid. "Good job on the diversion by the way." She said giving him a pat on his head, the astromech purred in response.

" _Right here."_ He answered as he moved around the corner and pointed at a secure door with his mechanical arm. " _Already unlocked for you."_

"Thanks." Sabine replied with a smile. The anxiety that had plagued her before now gone, everything was going as planned so far. Rex and Zeb posted up on both sides of the door and trained their weapons on it. Sabine took center place and pulled her single Westar pistol from her jacket pocket.

"Open it up." She commanded. Chopper complied with a happy chirp, the door slid open revealing a security guard directly behind it. His eyes widened in shock, clearly having planned on opening the door himself to leave.

The guard immediately reached for his blaster, fumbling as he did so. Sabine instantly took advantage of his mistake, aimed low and fired at his right leg. The guard collapsed to his knees yelling in pain. To finish him off, she followed up with a swift roundhouse kick to the side of his head knocking him out cold and back into the security room.

"What the!" A voice came from deeper in the room, Zeb led the charge into the room followed by Sabine, Rex, then Chopper.

"Oh no you don't!" Zeb yelled as he spotted the second security guard standing up from a bank of computers and reaching for the comms. Zeb charged the guard as he yelled and grabbed him by the collar of his uniform. With ease, the massive Lasat lifted the squirming guard into the air. The guard kicked at Zeb's torso and clawed at his opponent's massive hands to no avail.

"Please don't kill me!" The man begged.

"Oh I won't don't worry." Zeb replied with a mischievous tone. The Lasat dropped the Imperial onto his knees.

"Th-thank you." he started to say, his eyes filling with relief. Zeb raised his fist and punched the man in the temple. The frightened guard instantly fell to the ground unconscious.

Zeb turned to see both Rex and Sabine staring at him.

"What?" He asked with a shrug of his shoulders. "I didn't say I wasn't going to hurt him." Sabine rolled her eyes and moved on. There were more important things to do than address Zeb's inexplicable enjoyment of knocking people out.

"Chop find out where Solstice keeps their prototypes and what they've got."

Sabine pushed aside the guard's former chair and started observing the security camera feeds on one of the computers. From what she saw, everything was still going as planned. The halls were mostly empty and the alarm was still going off meaning that the Imperials hadn't caught on yet.

After a few uneventful minutes Chopper chirped, letting Sabine know he had found something.

" _Solstice Tech MK 345 Commando Combat Enhancement Program."_ Chopper said as the same file name appeared on the computer screen in front of Sabine. She clicked on the file which opened an image with accompanying text below it. The picture was that of a human man, though calling him human was being generous, Sabine remarked in shock as she noticed the only organic parts he had left were his head and torso.

His legs and arms were all cybernetics. The arms and legs were a deep black metal and entirely anatomically correct in shape and size to the man's torso. Below the image Sabine read the text which appeared to be a note from an engineer.

 _The testing on Subject 113 has proven to be most valuable. Despite substantial nerve damage, the subject was able to regain complete control of all limbs within only 14 days of limb replacement. The cybernetic limbs also performed exceptionally and consistently in the manner of offering increased strength that is double that of an average human being. The Phrik ore has also proven to be quite beneficial in being more resistant to lightsabers and blaster fire than that of other materials. The adaptable size will also prove to be more cost efficient as each limb will be a 'one size fits all' that can be adjusted to match the user's size.. Recommending immediate production to be used on Grand Admiral Thrawn's new commando program._

"Who in the blazes is Thrawn and why do I not like the sound of that name?"

"It doesn't matter right now." Sabine brushed off the comment, she knew enough about the Imperial Officer to know that he was bad news but that wasn't the mission right now.

" _They're keeping the prototypes and their specs. on the 157th floor in a mag locked vault."_ Chopper said.

"That's where we are going then." Sabine said. The Mandalorian double checked the rest of the gear she had stashed in her jacket pockets. One boring charge and a custom made personal baradium seismic charge was all she had managed to discreetly pack.

 _It'll be enough_ She reassured herself. _It has to be._

The four rebels made their way to the elevators and got in one that Chop had preemptively called for them. The doors closed. Rex pressed the button for the 157th floor and they began their ascent. A calm but mind numbingly simple tune came on over the speakers, a piano gently and slowly played while some string instruments strummed away.

The crew fell into silence save the dull music as the elevator climbed. They mindlessly checked their weapons in the awkward silence.

"So…" Zeb finally spoke tapping his foot anxiously. "you humans really suck at making good elevator music."

"What? Us humans? I'm a clone I'm not responsible for this sorry excuse! Clones all like good music, Mandalorian music." Rex replied defensively.

"Ugh don't even get me started on that crap." Zeb groaned.

"Hey! Enough!" Sabine butted in as Rex started to lecture Zeb on the values of 'true' music. Neither of them paid her any mind. In other circumstances she would have joined in on the argument, but now wasn't the time and she didn't have the patience.

"Ugh. Can never have one peaceful moment." Sabine shook her head as she raised her pistol, aimed at the speaker and squeezed the trigger. Zeb and Rex both jumped at the blaster noise and following sparks from the destroyed speaker as the music died out.

"There! No more music! Now focus on the mission or you're both explaining to Hera why we're coming back empty handed!" Sabine yelled at her friends.

"There's a joke in there somewhere." Zeb remarked with a raised finger. His brow furrowed as he visibly racked his mind trying to think of a witty reply to what Sabine had just said.

Sabine closed her eyes and sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. The adrenaline from before had passed leaving her exhausted.

" _I liked the music."_ Chopper chirped in from the corner of the lift. Sabine grinned at the curmudgeonly droid, not sure whether he was being serious or not.

The elevator doors slid open as the display notified them that they were now on the 157th floor. The halls were still empty, however, the alarms had stopped.

"Karabast. They must have figured out it." Zeb remarked at the unexpected silence.

"We're going to have to hurry then. Chopper you just focus on getting the product specs, Zeb go with him. Rex you're with me. I'll get the vault open." Sabine promptly ordered as they all stepped off of the lift.

"Ready to blow some stuff up?" Rex asked, giving Sabine a nudge. Sabine responded with a mischievous smirk.

"Always."

* * *

Ahsoka waited outside of Chopper base where she and Ezra normally trained, where she had told him everything would be okay. Where she lied and told him it was all over. She knew it wasn't. The vision, it had come to her almost every night since Malachor, warning her of what was to come. She tried to stop it. She failed. And the worse was yet to come.

She couldn't protect her friend and he payed the price. Trying to prepare Ezra for his destiny couldn't be done alone. She needed Kanan, but she still hadn't heard anything from him. All she knew was what he told her before leaving. That he had a vision like her, but it was slightly different. In his he saw all of the same things but also an untouched world and on it, a mountain in the snow. That was where he went six months ago and there was no word since.

Ahsoka got down onto her knees as the sun rose behind her. She carefully placed her hands on her thighs, closed her eyes and bowed her head. The memory of the last time she saw Kanan Jarrus echoed through her mind.

" _I didn't just see this place, Ahsoka." Kanan explained, his eyebrows moving expressively from behind the bandage that covered his eyes. "Somebody spoke to me. As if they were the one showing me the vision and knew I was watching."_

" _What did it say?" Ahsoka asked._

" _To come to it, to learn to see again." He answered._

" _And you're going to leave just for that? Ezra and I, we can come with you. We can-"_

" _No." Kanan interjected. "You can't. I can't train Ezra anymore, not right now."_

" _Why not?"_

" _Because, I'm even more hateful and afraid than he is right now." Kanan explained shamefully, his voice shaking as he spoke. "I want to make Maul pay for what he did."_

" _We all do Kanan." Ahsoka exclaimed trying to reason with her wounded comrade._

" _I want to hurt him, Ahsoka." Kanan explained. "I don't just want to kill him. I want to destroy him, to make him feel as much pain as possible for what he did to Ezra, for what he did to me."_

" _I can feel everything I've known just falling around me, Ahsoka." He continued on. "I need to do this alone, I can't risk bringing Ezra down with me." His lip began quivering as he finished his sentence. Ahsoka knew then, that the Jedi Knight was truly afraid, possibly as afraid as he had ever been._

" _Just promise me, you'll keep him safe." Kanan pleaded. "I've already told Hera and Ezra that I'm leaving and why."_

" _Okay. I promise." Ahsoka responded kindly. "As long as you promise to come back. Ezra needs his master."_

" _I promise." Kanan returned the favor. "We all need each other if we have any chance of making it through what's coming."_

It had been six months since she had that conversation with Kanan, he left with an astromech droid and a U-Wing ship. He promised he would come back and Ahsoka still believed him, she just hoped that the day he returned would be soon.

"Hurry, Kanan." Ahsoka whispered. "We need you."

* * *

"Alright the boring charge is done." Sabine said as she walked up to the ten inch diameter hole in the side of the vault door. Inside the hole halfway through was the lock mechanism. Through the other side of the hole she could see the interior of the vault. From what she could see it was loaded with all types of tech, likely all prototypes.

"I hope you're not planning on fitting through that tiny hole." Rex remarked cheekily.

"Don't need to." Sabine looked back at the old clone as she pulled the personal sized seismic charge out.

"Is that…" Rex eyes widened at the sight of the deadly device.

"Yup. We're gonna have to get some distance from this one." Sabine gave a devilish grin as she carefully placed the charge in the hole so that all of the force would be directed towards the lock mechanism.

"When I asked if you were ready to blow stuff up I didn't know that you were planning on creating a singularity!" Rex complained.

"Just a small one." Sabine said as if that was any type of reassurance. "But even small ones can cause a lot of damage so let's move!" She and Rex ran down the hallway until they hit a junction and took cover behind the wall.

"And I thought that I was done with crazy after the Clone Wars."

"Zeb, Chop. We're about to blow the vault open, get ready for some company because this is going to make a lot of noise." Sabine said into her comms.

" _Heh-Heh. Good. I've been looking forward to smashing some bucketheads all day."_

Sabine rose her eyebrow and looked at Rex, "and you say I'm the crazy one." With her comment she raised her detonator and pressed the button firmly. Immediately the white light of the hall turned into a beautiful electric blue, the ambient noise dying as it, along with the blue light, was sucked into the bomb. Then, darkness and silence. The charge exploded with a deafening roar and wave of light reverberating throughout its surroundings so much that Sabine felt the floor shake beneath her feet.

"See…" Sabine said once the explosion had faded. She turned the corner with Rex and pointed at the vault door which was now ever so slightly ajar. "Just enough to crack it open. Nothing more. Nothing-" Sabine was interrupted by a sudden noise of groaning metal. The vault door's hinges screamed and scraped as the door crashed flat onto the floor with a thick clang causing Sabine to wince in pain at the noise.

"You were saying?" Rex teased her.

"Shut up." Sabine ended the conversation. It may have been a bit overkill, but it got the job done. That was all that mattered to her.

The two jogged into the large vault and began their search. It wasn't long before Rex had found what they were looking for.

"Hey, over here." Rex said as he picked up the heavy carbon colored cybernetic arm with both hands. On the inside of the bicep a small inscription read _Solstice Tech MK345._

"Zeb, we've got what we need how about you?" Sabine spoke into the comms. Rex pulled a mag strap out of his pockets and attached it to the arm and slung it across his back.

" _Just about finished here. We'll meet you at the lift."_ Zeb replied calmly. Sabine opened up her comms to confirm just as she heard the all too familiar noise of boots running down the hallway. Following the noise, a squad of stormtroopers turned around the corner of the hallway to see Sabine and Rex standing at the entrance of the vault.

"Stop right there!" The trooper's leader yelled.

Sabine said one last thing to Zeb before she and Rex would open fire. "Yeah...going to be a slight delay on that rendezvous."

* * *

 _Pain. Paid is good. Pain means that I'm alive_. Ezra reassured himself as he woke up slowly. His head ached, his throat was cracked and stung every time he tried to breathe.

Ezra opened his eyes slowly revealing his surroundings. Stark white medical equipment, a bacta tank in the center of the room. He recognized the room as part of the medical wing at the base on Atollon. The room was cold as always and he was grateful to have a thick blanket over his body tucked up almost to his chin. He recognized it from the Ghost. It was the one Hera always used.

Next to him, Hera was asleep in a chair with her arms crossed across her chest hugging herself. Ezra recalled the last time he had seen her. He was being taken somewhere and she seemed afraid.

What he had heard during that encounter slowly came back to him. He looked back up at the white ceiling above him trying to remember as many details as he could.

Collapsed lung. Ezra inhaled, feeling only a bit of pain in his chest before letting it go.

 _Okay_. _That's fixed_

Spinal bruising. Possible Break. Ezra recalled a memory from his childhood when he was on the streets. A friend of his had fallen from a rooftop and broke her back and couldn't feel her legs or walk. Wiggling his toes, Ezra sighed a breath of relief, he was okay.

Hera shifted next to him, he could feel that she was waking up and sure enough within a few seconds her eyelids fluttered open, her eyes going wide with surprise to see Ezra's looking back at her.

Another detail entered his mind. A word he wasn't familiar with.

 _Cauterized dismember something._ He hadn't heard the words before. His knowledge of medical terminology was severely limited due to only being educated until he was seven years old.

Puzzled, Ezra also noticed a strange numbness in his arm. In fact he couldn't feel it all under the blanket. Hera watched as Ezra pulled the blanket down with his right hand.

"Ezra wait-" Hera cautioned, trying to reach him before the blanket fell below his chest revealing that his left arm wasn't numb at all. Ezra's breath hitched, his heart stopping at the sight.

"It-It's gone." Ezra whispered referring to his arm, which now ended just below his shoulder and was wrapped in bandages. He blinked a few times not believing what he was seeing. His heart rate spiked, his vision blurred with tears. He began to hyperventilate. The jedi's arm was gone.

Hera placed a warm hand on his shoulder and leaned over him. Her green face came into view of his tunnel vision. Ezra choked back a sob and tried to push down a knot in his throat. His whole life was flashing before his eyes. He was a fighter, a Jedi. Now he had lost his arm because he couldn't control his anger.

"It's okay, sweetie." Ezra let Hera pull his shaking body into a hug, wrapping her warm arms around him. He happily buried his face into her shoulder, finding comfort in the familiar smell. "It'll all be okay, I promise." Hera said knowingly as if she knew exactly what was going on in his mind.

"How?" Ezra asked through another sob causing the pilot to squeeze him tighter in response.

"We can replace it." Hera whispered in his ear. She pulled her head back and looked him in the eyes. She brushed a tear off of his cheek and leaned her forehead into his, combing her hand through the hair on the back of his head as he looked at her helplessly. "We can get you a cybernetic arm, you can feel with them now. It'll be like the same thing only stronger."

"But those are expensive." Ezra replied. "We can't afford that. I can't ask you to do that, Hera."

"The money doesn't matter." Hera looked at Ezra softly like a loving mother.

"But-"

Hera shushed Ezra. "Hush, you just rest. I'll take care of everything else, okay? I promise."

Ezra paused, looking down at the stump of his arm in shame. This was his fault and as a result should be his burden.

"Okay?" Hera asked rhetorically. Ezra knew that tone. She wasn't really giving him a choice. Besides, there wasn't really anything he could do to stop her in his condition.

"Okay." Ezra resigned. Hera nodded, a satisfied look on her worried face. She pulled him back in for another hug which Ezra happily obliged in as another round of tears came. He closed his eyes and let himself cry. The Twi'lek simply embraced him, running her hand through his hair, unbeknownst to her, it always reminded Ezra of his mother.

 _Like a mother who feels that she has failed her child._ Ezra recalled what Ahsoka had told him about Hera. Ezra could truly feel the love that Hera had for him, the concern, the shame she had for herself. A pang of guilt struck his heart, realizing how he had put her through hell and she was still there for him.

"I'm sorry." He muttered into Hera's shoulder.

Hera held the silence for a second then let out a soft sigh as she continued to hold the young jedi in her arms. "It's okay, Ezra. We're family." She replied knowing exactly what he was apologizing for. Neither of them pushed the matter any further. The room fell into silence for hours until eventually Ezra fell asleep in Hera's arms, his head pressed into her neck and shoulder while she rubbed his back.

Once she was sure Ezra was asleep. Hera laid the young boy back down and pulled the blanket back over his chest. Finally, she let herself cry. Tears flowed from her eyes as Ezra breathed gently below her. He would awaken again and she would have to comfort him again. She would have to feel that pain again. She was at least grateful that he didn't ask to see anybody else.

"Hurry up, Sabine." Hera whispered as she ran her hand through Ezra's short cut hair. "I've got a promise to keep."

* * *

"They're closing in!" Rex yelled over the cacophony of blaster fire that rang through the hallway and vault.

Sabine fired her pistol around the corner of the vault doorway blindly. Every one shot of hers had ten returned. The troopers were gaining ground every second and it wouldn't be long before reinforcements came. With only three blaster pistols between the two of them, Sabine and Rex were heavily outgunned and outnumbered.

"Advance!" One of the troopers commanded the others. She heard them approaching, easily less than five meters away. Sabine and Rex readied themselves for hand to hand combat, both taking comfort in knowing they had the advantage over the troopers in that front.

Sabine breathed deeply and closed her eyes for just a second to center herself. Failure wasn't an option. She repeated in her head that they would get out of this, that they would make it back to Ezra and keep him in the fight. They needed him.

 _Could really use his help right now._ Sabine remarked to herself right as she heard exactly what she had been waiting for. The firing of a bo-rifle.

"Behind us!" one of the soldiers yelled. "Return fire!" Two soldiers stepped into the vault at the same time, one aimed for Rex while the other aimed for Sabine, the barrel only inches from her face. The Mandalorian ducked under the first shot. With her left hand she reached above her head, grabbed the soldier's wrist and stood pulling his rifle and arms up above his head. In one smooth motion she pulled her pistol up and buried the barrel into the opening between his chest plate and helmet. Then she squeezed the trigger. The blast was so muffled by the body armor that she barely heard the shot, but she knew it did the job when his legs gave way and the weight of his body nearly pulled her down. She dropped the body and watched as Rex finished his opponent off with a pistol whip to the side of the head. She heard another body drop outside. Zeb had successfully distracted the rest of the squad.

"Now!" Sabine yelled to Rex. The two rebels stepped out in the hallway in full tilt. Opening fire on the distracted stormtroopers as they moved. Two immediately fell from them and another from Zeb who stood at the end of the hallway leaning out from cover.

Ignoring caution and using her momentum, Sabine jumped towards the closest soldier with a kick, her boot planted firmly on where his temple would be under the helmet and threw him to the ground. In a dazed state the soldier scrambled to get back up but was met by another firm kick to the side of the head by Sabine, knocking him unconscious. At the same time, Zeb dispatched another soldier and Rex engaged in hand to hand with the last one standing.

The trooper swung the butt of his rifle at Rex who lazily ducked under then retaliated with an uppercut dazing the soldier and causing him to stumble back. Before Sabine or Rex could even raise their weapons to finish the soldier, Zeb fired and hit the soldier squarely between his shoulder blades. He instantly fell to the ground. The impact from the bo-rifle likely stopping his heart on impact.

"Are you crazy?! You could have hit us!" Rex yelled down the hallway at Zeb.

"I got bored! Now let's go." The two rebels sprinted down the hallway to meet Zeb and Chopper.

"They'll be expecting us on the first floor. We can't take the lift." Rex explained as the others walked towards the subject.

"Sure we can." Sabine remarked with a shrug. "We just won't get off on the first floor." She stepped into the elevator and waited for the others to join her. Across the hall, Sabine saw the elevator they had rode up was now in use, likely carrying another squad of troopers up. "We'll get off on the second but send the lift to the 1st. Then we'll make our exit through a window. She pressed the button marked for floor 1 and let the doors close.

As the doors closed, a familiar tune played over the speaker. The damned elevator music.

Sabine groaned and rolled her eyes as Zeb and Rex howled with laughter in a much needed reprieve from being shot at.

"Not a damn word." She growled in response to their laughter. "That means you too, Chop." She said with a glance at the droid who seemed to be happily humming to the tune.

"Zeb open the emergency hatch." Sabine commanded pointing towards the hatch on the ceiling of the elevator. The large Lasat easily opened the hatch without even having to stretch.

"Chop, get the second floor doors open. Keep it looking like we are riding this thing right down to the first." The droid responded with an affirmative and immediately started working on his task.

"Give me a boost up?" Sabine asked Zeb who nodded in compliance, knelt down and held his open hands together. She stepped onto Zeb's hands reached up and grabbed onto the edges of the open hatch then pulled herself up. She knelt down aside the hatch and reached down to help pull Rex up and Zeb through as well.

"It's moving awfully fast!" Zeb yelled over the noise of the descending elevator that echoed through the shaft.

"It'll slow down once we get closer! Just get ready!" Sabine yelled in response as Chopper flew up through the hatch and joined them on the roof.

The elevator slowed exponentially as it neared the first floor. As soon as Sabine saw the the top of the open second floor doors she yelled. "Now!" She pressed off with her feet and jumped through the open doors landing with a roll onto her feet and pistol ready as she quickly scanned their surroundings. Zeb and Rex quickly followed suit, then Chopper.

The second floor was far more open than the top floors. It was filled with rows and rows of stark cubicles and marked with the occasional fake potted plant. Sabine couldn't explain why, but it was somehow one of the most depressing things she had ever seen. Regardless, it was empty.

"We're clear." Sabine remarked to her comrades. She turned to face Chopper as she stood to her full height. "Chop, what's the best way out of here?"

" _East side of the building is an alleyway with a maintenance lift to the lower city."_

"That's our way out then, lead the way." Sabine instructed. The astromech happily led the way through a series of office halls and more cubicle congregations until they came across a row of windows at the edge of the building.

"Alright, stand back." Sabine raised her pistol, aimed it at the lower corner of the window and fired. The window glass instantly shattered and fell down into the alleyway as the noise of the city came rushing in.

Rex walked up to the edge leaned over and peered down to the ground sizing up how big of a jump it would be. "Too high of a jump. We might get hurt."

"We don't have any other options and it won't be long before the Empire catches on." Sabine protested. She didn't like it anymore than Rex did. It was easily a ten meter fall and chances were not in their favor of making that without an injury, at least for Rex and Sabine. Luckily, she had an idea.

"Zeb, you can make that jump." Sabine looked to the massive Lasat. He looked back at her knowingly, her eyes said enough, it was an order not just a remark.

"Alright, I'll catch you guys once I'm down there." Zeb groaned in protest. He walked to the edge next to Rex and jumped down into the alley followed by Chopper who used his rocket thrusters to lower himself down slowly.

"Alright!" Zeb said as he turned to face Rex and Sabine from below with his arms extended. "Let's get this over with."

"Go." Sabine nodded to Rex. The old clone double checked the strap holding the cybernetic arm and jumped without hesitation. Zeb caught the clone with ease, his arms only giving way slightly under the weight. Once Rex was on his feet, Zeb signalled to Sabine.

Sabine eyed the distance carefully then jumped.

* * *

" _Haar'chak!"_ Sabine cursed as the pilex bit driver slipped from her greasy fingers and fell to the floor. She leaned back in her chair and sighed in frustration. She had been keeping herself occupied by trying to modify a KX-80 blaster rifle, one of the many that had come in a shipment while she was away. Despite working on the weapon since her return to Atollon for the previous six hours she had made little progress and done nothing else.

"Come on, you need to finish this." Sabine muttered to herself as she leaned down to pick up her fallen tools. "You've been looking for a good rifle for years." In reality, she knew she could work on this some other time, she just wasn't keen on her alternatives.

Which was to wait and see if Ezra's body would take to the new arm. The new arm whose origins he didn't, and if Sabine had her way would never, know. She didn't want him feeling like he owed her anything. They were even, she told herself.

Sabine's work was interrupted by the door to her room on the Ghost sliding open. Her head snapped to attention looking at the door to see who it was. Secretly hoping for good news but too prideful to show it.

"Hey." Rex said as he walked through the open doors and close them behind him. "Thought you should know, Ezra's awake." He exclaimed with a smile as he crossed his arms.

"And?" Sabine caved, cursing herself for sounding so worried. She still couldn't shake that anxiety and it was only worse now that Ezra was awake. She was glad he was awake. She bore him no ill will but that didn't mean she wasn't nervous for what would come after. What if the arm didn't work and all she did was get his hopes up for nothing? What if he asked her about what he said to her? What would she tell him? What if he had more to say?

"And he took to the arm perfectly. Doc's say he'll be back in fighting order in a month tops and Ahsoka say's it'll be even less than that."

"Good." Sabine replied with a smile. Her heart soared at the thought that he would be okay, that she wouldn't lose her closest friend despite how distant he had grown.

"Thought you would also like to know that he doesn't remember anything since Dantooine." Rex added carefully, his voice carrying more tact and concern than before. Sabine made it evident she didn't want to talk about what Ezra said and quite frankly neither one of them had any idea what to say to about it, so the clone turned away from her and stepped back out of the room.

"By the way." He said before the door closed. He pointed at the Pilex driver in Sabines hands. "You're using the wrong type of bit head," he said with a confident smirk as the door closed leaving Sabine alone again.

She looked down at the driver then to the part of the gun she was trying to open realizing that Rex was right. "Karabast, I'm an idiot." She chastised herself for being so mindless, blaming it on a lack of sleep.

Deep down, she knew it was more than a lack of sleep. It was what Ezra said. It had her distracted ever since they had returned home. The words in Basic were nothing more than a well worded compliment, but he didn't say it in Basic. Ezra had learned the words in Mandalorian and said it in her native tongue, and if he learned Mandalorian words then the first thing he would have learned is that the Mandalorian language is rough, unforgiving, and that Mandalorians did not pay compliments or words of affection unless they _truly_ meant and believed it. To pay such a romantic compliment in Mandalorian was practically a profession of love in Basic.

Sabine played the words in her head again as she took a break from her work. She looked in the small mirror she had placed on her wall above her desk.

 _Bic as mesh'la as ca'tra._ She heard him say the words again as a familiar heat rose to her cheeks. She still wasn't sure if he truly meant what he said. He was delirious, he could have learned those words years ago and just said them because of the state he was in. Regardless of whether or not he still thought what he said to be true, Sabine knew that at that moment, she wanted nothing more than to hear him say it again. She looked at the mirror noticing a growing smile crossing her lips as she said the words, this time in basic. "As beautiful as the night sky."

* * *

 _ **Haar'chak- Damn it!**_

 _ **Bic as mesh'la as ca'tra- As beautiful as the night sky**_

 _ **Authors Note: Hey everybody thanks for reading the fourth chapter of this fanfic! I hope you enjoyed! I'm sorry for how long it was with how little action it actually had but I couldn't find any ways to add more action while still adding to the plot. For those of you commenting or concerned about how cybernetics actually work, I know, this plot seems stupid, but I'm going off of Star Wars Legends and Canon material here, I don't just make this stuff up on the fly. I do a lot of research to make sure that most or all of my stuff is accurate and applicable in the Star Wars Universe before I write a single word. So yes, this isn't how cybernetics would work in real life but it is how they work in Star Wars.**_

 _ **Regardless of all that, I had a lot more fluff and romantic stuff in this chapter and I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it because I have a huge soft spot for Ezra and Sabine! As always, please PM and review. I absolutely love talking about this fanfiction with people as well as just general Rebels stuff so if you have questions, concerns, or comments, that you feel aren't really review material then PM me! I am also looking for a beta reader (not so much for grammar stuff just really for checking characters and dialogue) so please PM me if you are interested in that as well!**_


	5. Trust but Verify

Chapter 4: Trust but Verify

"Again!" Ahsoka threw the disarmed Ezra his lightsaber back and readied her own sabers in a combative stance. Her body was tense, her skin covered in a thin layer of sweat, and her eyes filled with a certain perseverance that showed so sign of dying.

"Ahsoka…" Ezra pleaded with Ahsoka, his shoulders slumping from exhaustion, his cybernetic arm hanging awkwardly at his side.

"I said I would teach you, Ezra!" Ahsoka responded, the sternness in her voice forcing him to stand at attention. Just by the sound of her voice, he knew that their training session was far from over. "And after…" She paused, her eyes drifting to his cybernetic hand, his arm and torso now covered by a simple black t-shirt, his new brown leather jacket was discarded off to the side of their sparring area as the heat had become overbearing in the past few hours.

"...after I got my arm cut off?" Ezra finished grimly and defiantly. His skin crawled every time somebody beat around the bush regarding what happened, a common occurrence in the past two weeks. He had made a mistake and nearly gotten himself killed. That's how he saw it.

Ahsoka sighed. She came out of her combat stance and stood up straight, the tension in her body and perseverance in her eyes remained. "You need to train harder than you ever have before. You need to learn to adapt to the new circumstances." She beckoned towards Ezra's arm.

"Even if I can become as good as I was again, that wasn't good enough to stop Maul." Ezra replied with a shake of his head, his eyes flooded with self pity as he spoke. He turned away from her and faced the setting sun of Atollon from the edge of the plateau. Ever since Malachor he had watched the sun set every time with Ahsoka, the two always made a point of having their lightsaber and meditation in that particular spot. It had become something of a tradition. The familiar sight of the orange sun making flower-like silhouettes out of the neighboring natural formations brought both comfort and a sense of normality in all of the chaos that was their lives.

Ezra closed his eyes and basked in the warm sun. Despite how overheated he already was from fighting he still enjoyed the heat of the Atollon sun, it reminded him of summer days on Lothal.

"You'll never be the same as you were before, Ezra." Ahsoka spoke softly. Ezra felt a hand gently placed on his shoulder, the warmth and even the sweat on the palms of her hand could be felt by his new cybernetic arm. It had been two weeks of wearing it and it still didn't cease to amaze him how close to real it felt, his balance was still off which had impacted his fighting skills drastically but aside from that it was as if nothing had changed aside from the appearance. "But you will be better than you were before." Ahsoka assured him. "You need to adapt to your arm, not to try and work around it. What other's will see as a weakness can, and will, become your greatest strength."

"Now come on, let's go again." Ahsoka patted his shoulder gently and walked back to her place. "Force yourself to use your arm, make use of its strength and speed."

"Okay." Ezra activated his saber. The electric hum vibrated gently through the handle and into his palm at a much lower frequency than it did in combat. It was set to its training mode so that they didn't accidentally kill each other. Ezra deftly placed his feet and held his saber in a defensive position as he had been taught to do when using Form V. Ahsoka had taught him both variants, Shien and Djem Sho. While Shien was designed for deflecting blasters, Djem Sho was designed for using strength and speed to counter-attack against lightsabers. He gripped the hilt of his saber with both hands, being careful not to crush it with his cybernetic hand.

Ahsoka lunged towards Ezra with a backhanded strike then feigned to the side before even making contact. Ezra barely managed to block her second real attack aimed at his midsection. She rolled past his block. He watched her body dip low as she did. He was familiar with the move and jumped off the ground over her sweeping leg.

The kick of her leg and the landing of his boots was the catalyst for a cloud of sand and dust to raise into the air as Ezra used this opening to lead a slew of counter-attacks. He swung downwards at the crouching Ahsoka who rolled to the side and onto her feet with ease.

He immediately assaulted her with a jab which she easily parried then stepped forward with a wide arc swing towards his neck then another with her hand at his chest. She stepped forward with the dual swing and Ezra just managed to block both with his saber held directly in front of him, the sabers locked into each other with a near deafening hum of electricity. Ezra's eyes widened in fear and Ahsoka's once again filled with that familiar perseverance as she leaned into him.

Ezra planted his feet and did his best to hold against her weight. He pressed back leaning towards her body and pushing forward with both of his arms. With the strength of his cybernetic enhancement her weight felt like nothing to him.

"Yes! Use your strength, Ezra!" She cheered despite the fact her defenses were about to fall. Her sabers only inches from touching her own chest at that point. With one more push, Ezra would be able to win, A wave of joy washed over him at the realization of how close he was to finally beating Ahsoka. Two years of sparring with Kanan, not a single match won. Six months with Ahsoka, not a single match won. Now he had his chance.

Ezra ignored the smirk building in his lips, leaned back to give Ahsoka a moment's reprieve to trick her muscles then pushed as hard as he could. He instantly regretted that decision. As he pushed forward, he expected resistance, instead he met none. Ahsoka's orange face disappeared from view as she leaned away from his push and fell onto her back. She then firmly planted her boots on his stomach from below him and rolled him over her.

The young jedi saw the world spin around him, Ahsoka, the ground, then the sky as he landed firmly on his back. The air in his lungs was instantly forced out by the heavy impact of unexpected landing in such a way.

"But don't use your strength too much!" He heard Ahsoka tease as he tried to catch his breath. Interrupting his attempted rest and view of the orange sky, two white sabers cut through the air towards his head. Instinctively he rolled to the side then pushed himself up to his feet.

"That wasn't fair!" Ezra protested against the way she had thrown him to the ground.

"No fight ever is." She responded casually. "And it was entirely fair. You need to balance your strength, Ezra."

 _Okay._ Ezra centered himself and thought about what to do. He couldn't use just strength, he needed speed as well against an opponent like Ahsoka. He had to approach this differently, he had to adapt, she had said as much. He had to fight differently.

 _Well she fights dirty. Maybe it's time I did too._

Ezra smiled as he developed his new strategy, taking into account all of the lessons he had been drilled on over the past years. He charged forwards with both hands on his saber and projected an attack so obvious that anybody would be able to dodge it. As he suspected Ahsoka ducked the attack and jumped over his shoulder behind him. Ezra let go of the saber with his cybernetic hand and let it hang loose. He swung behind him flourishing the saber with a flick of his wrist as he did. Ahsoka managed to block it easily but stayed on the defensive as Ezra stepped as close as he could to her.

Ezra kept moving towards Ahsoka, refusing her the right to any room and forcing her to hold her sabers in the normal stance to defend and retaliate against his attacks. Their sabers became an incomprehensible blur of white and green as they dished out blows and repeated parries. Regardless of how she held her weapons, Ahsoka was still faster and would win in this engagement and they both knew it. Only Ahsoka didn't know that's what Ezra was counting on.

He blocked low on his right side leaving an opening on his cybernetic arm, Ahsoka's favorite target for the past few weeks. Ezra knew she saw the opening as soon as he presented it. She swung downwards with her right saber. With razor sharp precision Ezra's hand shot up and grabbed the wrist of her attacking arm. For the first time since beginning sparring with her, he saw a look of surprise on her face. Before he lost his opportunity, he spun his saber in his hand into the reverse grip, stepped forward and held it to her neck.

He felt her relent in the force and heard her lightsabers turn off. "Well done, Ezra." She nodded firmly. "Now can you let go of my wrist, it really hurts."

"Oh, sorry!" Ezra said sheepishly as he let go of her wrist. He winced at the sight of where he had grabbed her, it was already beginning to bruise.

"It's fine, you didn't mean it." She reassured him. Ezra nodded unsurely in response. "You did a good job." Ezra deactivated his saber and clipped it to his belt. The two combatants paused to regain their composure. It wasn't until the dust around them had finally settled that Ezra realized the sun had set in the time of their duel. Now only a cool night breeze blew across the plateau, accompanied by the distant noises of the Rebel hangar.

"That's enough for the night." Ahsoka stated. "Sato is having a briefing with mission assignments at 0700 tomorrow morning."

"What could Sato possibly have for us?" Ezra asked. Due to Ahsoka's status as Fulcrum, Ezra was barely considered a member of Phoenix squadron anymore and more of a member of Ahsoka's network, meaning they took their assignments from Organa or other generals but rarely Sato.

"What could he have for you, you mean." Ahsoka corrected him. "I have a mission of my own. Whatever you'll be doing probably won't be anything off base anyways.

"Oh…" Ezra replied dryly. "Great."

* * *

 _Kashyyyk._ Ezra said the name of the planet to himself for the hundredth time as he walked out of the briefing room touching each finger on his cybernetic hand to his thumb individually and in order, one of the many exercises the surgeon had recommended. This one had simply become a habit of Ezra's after these past two weeks.

Hera and Zeb were being sent to Ryloth then to Lasan to see if they could gain any support from their respective species. Ahsoka had told everybody she had an assignment from Organa himself and Rex was being sent to see if he could find any fellow surviving clones.

Ezra's assignment was Kashyyyk, the Imperial occupied homeworld of the Wookiees., according to an intelligence team there, there was a Wookiee resistance whose leader was willing to meet. Ezra was excited to get back in the field but was equally apprehensive and nervous about the mission. The reason he was being sent was because the intelligence team was having trouble in negotiations and somehow, Sato had decided that Ezra would be the solution. Something about the Wookiees having a trusting relationship with Jedi if Ezra recalled correctly.

The major hitch to the issue though was that Ezra wasn't going alone thanks to Hera. Sabine was accompanying him, for 'protection and knowledge of imperial tactics'. Ezra sighed in frustration at the last part. He didn't doubt Sabine's prowess on the battlefield. He actually admired it. What he did doubt was her intentions. She felt that he needed to be protected, that's what he told himself at least.

 _She may not be wrong._ Ezra told himself, looking down at the open palm of his cybernetic hand in the sunlight as he walked out of the base hangar on Atollon.

Ezra felt a presence following him and immediately recognized it having formed a strong bond with her in the past six months.

"Hey." Ezra said as he sat down on a crate on a landing pad. Ahsoka remained silent, gracefully sitting next to him, a thoughtful look on her face.

"If you're here to tell me that I shouldn't go on this mission-" Ezra began to say.

"I'm not." Ahsoka interrupted.

Ezra eyed his friend cautiously, not sure what to think of her response. He had been expecting a lecture about how he wasn't ready to lead his own mission or that he still hadn't recovered from losing his arm and the subsequent surgery.

 _Is this a trick?_ He asked himself.

Perplexed and unsure what to say, Ezra eyed a rock at his feet and picked it up with his new arm. He had to practice some of the exercises Ahsoka had given him as well. One of the trouble of getting a cybernetic arm replacement is that he had to essentially relearn to use the force with it.

Ezra focused on lifting the rock off of his hand, it shook and turned on it's side and levitated slightly if only for a second before falling back into his hand. Ezra let out another heavy sigh of frustration and closed his eyes.

"This mission, it will be good for you, I think it will help you truly take what you have learned and actually apply it without having me to guide you." Ahsoka explained.

"But?" Ezra asked knowingly, she didn't just come out here to tell him she thought it was a good idea. Ahsoka rolled her eyes at his sarcastic cynicism getting just a small smirk out of him.

"But…" She replied. "I'm also worried about you." her eyes drifted to Ezra's hand as he accidentally gripped the rock too hard, effectively crushing it.

"It's just hard to get used to how strong it is." He explained with embarrassment.

"No, I'm not worried about that. You actually managed to beat me in sparring with that last night." She explained. "I'm worried about what caused you to need that." She explained gesturing at Ezra's arm.

"Maul?" Ezra asked. He knew what she really meant, he had blamed himself for it time and time again. He had completely lost control and let his anger take over to bypass all of his training.

"As soon as Maul showed up, you lost control. You relied on your anger and hatred."

"Can you blame me? He should be dead!" Ezra bit back, he knew Ahsoka meant well but he didn't care to hear this lecture again.

"Yes he should be dead and you have every reason to be angry and to hate him," Ahsoka paused, thinking carefully about her next choice of words. "But you let those emotions control you in the fight and you are lucky that it only cost you your arm."

"You saw what Maul did on Malachor! How can you expect me to just control how I feel? I can't just turn it off like that! How can you not be hateful towards him?" Ezra retaliated heatedly.

"I am!" Ahsoka's voice cracked. Ezra's heart skipped a beat as Ahsoka looked away from him and at her feet shamefully. She looked so alone despite standing right in front of him.

Ezra tried his best to understand, his mind going a mile a minute. This revelation went against everything he had been taught about the jedi. They weren't supposed to have anger or be vengeful, but Ahsoka was both of those, something no jedi should be.

"But, the way of the jedi-"

"Is dead." Ahsoka interrupted mournfully. She looked back up at Ezra, her eyes glossy with tears causing Ezra's heart to sink. He had no idea what to say so he just stood there, a sympathetic look in his eyes. Ahsoka's shoulders slumped as she sat down next to Ezra, her head hung shamefully.

"It's all gone, Ezra." She explained softly, her mind in distant place. Ezra could feel her pain through the force and in her voice. "The way of the Jedi is gone. Their actions, their beliefs, are what caused all of this." She explained.

Ezra recalled everything that he had been taught by Kanan and recently Ahsoka. How it all added up now knowing that Anakin, Ahsoka's former master, was now Darth Vader. The Clone Wars, Skywalker's betrayal and the Empire, she was saying it was all because of the Jedi.

"The way of the Jedi Order is not sustainable. Fear, anger, hate, love, are all natural things, they don't lead to the dark side. The oppression of those emotions is what caused Anakin to turn." Ahsoka explained somberly as she recalled past times. "There are many Jedi, good people, heroes like Anakin, who fell in love, who felt hatred and anger."

"Are you saying I should embrace those feelings?" Ezra asked curiously as Ahsoka leaned her shoulder into his.

Ahsoka shook her head softly. "I'm saying that you can't just bottle them up and try to ignore them or they will break through and control you like they did to Anakin."

"And like they did to me on Dantooine." Ezra realized.

"Exactly." Ahsoka confirmed his realization. "If you let your anger and fear control you then you will fall to the dark side."

"What about love?" Ezra asked.

"The jedi didn't allow it because attachment could lead to fear, jealousy, and hatred." She answered. Ezra furrowed his brow in confusion, in his experience, his attachment to the crew is what made him stronger and more confident in himself.

"But how can you fight for peace if you're not attached to anything?" Ezra asked.

"Exactly." Ahsoka answered. "One can find peace and serenity in love and attachment just as much as they can find fear or hatred. It's all a matter of how you handle it."

Ezra nodded his head thoughtfully as he reflected on his own experiences. He had felt both fear and peace when it came to protecting the crew.

"So there's a balance." Ezra answered simply.

"Yes, having anger or fear or being in love does not make you a bad person, it does not make you a sith." She replied wistfully.

"How do you know?" Ezra asked curiously.

"Because I've been afraid ever since I left the order, because I loved Anakin like a brother, because of my friendship with you and Rex, because I hate the Empire." She listed off, her voice getting lighter with each item as if a massive burden was being taken off of her shoulders. "I know because of all of that and I'm still not a Sith. I'm just me." She finished, the faintest hint of a smile on her lips.

 _So having all of these feelings. It's what makes me who I am._

"I understand." Ezra responded. "Thank you...Master." He added respectfully, he had never actually called her that, in his heart it had always been Kanan, but Kanan wasn't there anymore. Ezra woefully pushed back the memory of his absent master, the man he had come to look at as a father.

Ahsoka laughed gently, her eyes filled with kindness as she looked at Ezra. "I am not your master, you are your own person now. It's time that you forge your own path."

Ezra winced slightly at her remark, the bond he had with Ahsoka as her Padawan was the closest thing he had to a friendship.

"Ezra," Ahsoka added on with a caring voice as she was completely aware of his emotions. "I would like you to know, that I do consider you one of my closest friends in life. Master or not, I will always be there for you."

The sudden emotion caught Ezra off guard. Ahsoka, the woman who had been trained since she was three years old to have no attachments had called him her best friend.

"It's time for me to go. The sooner I complete my mission the better." Ahsoka said with an air of determination. "Remember your training, and keep practicing with the force with your new arm." She said as she stooped down to pick up a palm sized rock and put it in Ezra's hand.

"Focus on the rock, not the hand. Your hand is only a way to direct or aim the force." She added on as Ezra began to focus on lifting the rock.

 _The rock, not the hand._ Ezra repeated a few times in his head. He closed his eyes and continued concentrating. The rock started to shake slightly in his palm then he felt nothing. He opened his eyes to see it levitating a foot above his hand, bobbing up and down slightly as if it were floating on water. He let out a proud grin and let it fall back into his palm with a satisfying thunk as rock hit metal.

"Perfect." Ahsoka congratulated him.

"How do you know so much about all this?" He asked, gesturing towards his cybernetic arm. Since the day he had gotten it she had been ready to train him on how to not only adjust to it but also use its superior strength to his advantage. Ahsoka bowed her head in response to the question.

 _What did I say?_ Ezra questioned himself.

"Anakin…" She answered somberly. "When I became his padawan, he already had a cybernetic hand." She chuckled slightly, a fond memory of days gone by flashing through her eyes. "And I was a curious child who constantly pestered him with questions about it. He explained it all to me."

 _I remind her of him. Probably in more ways than I realize._ Ezra said to himself looking at his own cybernetic arm.

"Now, I really should be going."

"Wait!" Ezra interrupted as he remembered something they hadn't had the chance to talk about yet. "The ghosts on Dantooine, who were they?" He asked cautiously, unsure of whether or not he actually wanted to know.

A flash of uncertainty hit Ahsoka's eyes. "That's what my mission is about." She answered softly. "There is somebody who may have answers, who may be able to confirm my suspicions. For now though it's best you don't worry about it. Focus on the mission at hand and we will talk more about it when we both get back."

Ezra considered protesting but thought better of it, he knew she wouldn't give in. "Okay. Be safe." He replied in resignation. "And Ahsoka," He called out as she began to walk away back to base. The slim Togruta turned on her heel in response a quizzical look on her face. Ezra paused, unsure of how to say what he wanted, opening up to somebody was not something he had done often lately.

"I do feel the same way about you." He finally said as his cheeks blushed. "You're one of my best friends and Padawan or not, I will always be there for you."

Ahsoka smiled warmly in response. "Thank you. Remember what I said, forge your own path, Ezra. May the force be with you."

"I will." Ezra replied. "May the force be with you as well." Ahsoka smiled and nodded her head before turning and heading back to base to do final preparations for her mission.

 _Forge my own path._ Ezra pondered the words in his mind.

"I can try to do that." He muttered as he saw Sabine, Zeb, Hera, and Chopper all exit the hangar bay and walk to the Ghost. Ezra noticed Sabine glance over at him, an expression of concern in her body language and in the force.

Ezra's heart ached at the sight but didn't know what to do to help her. He wanted to reach out to her, to tell her everything, how he felt about her, how he felt about himself. He realized now though that he barely knew Sabine. He knew how he felt about her the first time he met her, but he didn't actually know much about her or her past. It had occurred to him in this time that the Mandalorian didn't trust him with his past and didn't feel the same way about him.

 _I need to move on._ Ezra chastised himself, dreading the mission he would have to undertake with her. He looked down at his arm in shame.

 _I wouldn't be able to protect any of them from Maul anyways. I can barely protect myself._

As much as he wanted to talk to Sabine, he knew it would only make things worse. His feelings would torture him and Maul would use that against him.

 _Forge my own path._ Ezra reminded himself deciding that he would just have to deal with Maul himself. It was a jedi problem anyways, not a rebellion problem and in the meantime he had a mission to do.

 _Forge my own path._ He repeated once again as he started to walk towards the Ghost, he had to prepare for the mission as well.

 _I can do that._

* * *

Sabine and Ezra sat uncomfortably in the short hidden compartment of the smuggler's ship. Hera and Zeb had dropped them off and Nar Shaddaa or "Smugglers Moon" as it was known. From there it was easy enough to find a smuggler who could get them to Kashyyyk. Hera had wanted to drop the two off herself but Sato had mandated that Sabine and Ezra go separately in case they were captured.

So now the two rebels were hidden away in the hidden compartment in the floor of the captain's ship on their way to Kashyyyk.

 _If we ever make it Kashyyyk. We're lucky this tub hasn't fallen apart yet._ Sabine scowled as the ship lurched in protest from even the smallest movement.

Ezra seemed to pay the turbulence no mind, much to Sabine's frustration. The Jedi still hadn't talked to her except for when it came to the mission.

Sabine knew from experience that the kind of isolation and guilt Ezra was putting himself through could change a person, and change him it did, mentally and physically.

The scrawny unkempt pickpocket child they had picked up on Lothal was gone. The person that Sabine now looked at now stood a head taller than her, his previously long unkempt hair that spoke of his once happy go lucky attitude was now cut close to his head revealing a now sharp jawline and gaunt cheeks. On top of the changes in his face, he had visibly become a warrior. He was still slim but he wasn't slim from malnourishment anymore. Given the non-stop training that Sabine had watched Ezra commit himself to, it was no surprise that he was as muscular and fit as a Mandalorian soldier.

Sabine's eyes drifted away from Ezra's body and face, a hint of red in her cheeks as she realized that she actually found him rather attractive.

 _Of course you find him handsome now that he's completely unavailable and showing no interest in you._ Sabine chastised herself rolling her eyes at the impeccable timing of everything. What he had said to her when he was injured hadn't helped either.

 _As beautiful as the night sky._ Sabine ignored the words playing in her head again. With the way he was acting towards her since they went on this mission together, she knew there was no way he remembered saying that or actually felt that way.

 _Maybe he felt that way once._ The young Mandalorian told herself. It was the only logical solution she could think of, he was delirious after all so maybe he was just confused about where and when he was.

A pair of footsteps and muffled voices came by overhead knocking Sabine out of her train of thought. The Mandalorians eyes followed the sound of the steps that no doubt belonged to the captain and his first mate as they fell back into silence. They were no doubt going to the engine room to see what had caused that massive lurch in the ship earlier.

 _Fastest ship in the galaxy. Sure._

"I don't trust him." Sabine said nodding up above her deciding it was time to break the silence. If she and Ezra were going to make it through this, they had to be able to communicate, at least that's what she had been telling herself.

Ezra let out an irritated sigh, she knew she was disturbing his meditation but it had been hours and Sabine had volunteered for this mission for a reason. She knew that despite how much Ezra had changed part of him still had to be in there. She aimed to get him back, for Kanan, she told herself. If she was being honest with herself, she was doing it for herself as well, over the past years, Ezra had come to mean a lot to her despite their rocky start.

To put it simply, she missed him.

 _More than I'd care to admit._

"You don't trust anybody, Sabine." Ezra finally replied sarcastically with his eyes still closed from meditation.

 _Well the old sarcasm is still there. That's progress._

"That's not true!" She snipped back. Ezra opened his eyes revealing his electric blue irises.

 _My favorite shade of blue._ She noted as she made eye contact with him, his eyes were the only thing that hadn't changed, they were still lively and full of energy and hope, they never dulled as their fight went on.

"Aside from Hera, Zeb, and occasionally Chop I have never seen you trust anybody." Ezra replied thoughtfully.

"And Kanan." Sabine added immediately regretting her decision as Ezra winced at the name.

"Yeah, him too." He lowered his eyes shamefully.

 _He still blames himself for Kanan leaving._

"I trust you." Sabine remarked, gently placing her hand on his knee in an attempt to comfort him. Ezra's leg tensed up immediately at the touch of her hand. Sabine sighed in frustration and pulled her hand back into her lap.

 _He's still mad at me._ She wanted to be angry at him, for being an ungrateful cruel person but what could he be ungrateful for? He didn't know what she had done for him, he didn't know that the first person he asked for in his delirious state was her, that he held her hand, that he said those damned words.

"Ezra…" She said getting him to look back at her, his despondent eyes causing her heart to sink.

 _He looks so alone. Is that how I looked when Kanan and Hera picked me up?_

"I trust you." Sabine repeated hoping maybe he just hadn't heard her. "You know that right?"

"I have no idea what I know or what I believe anymore." He replied.

"What does that mean?" Sabine asked.

"It means that I have no idea who I am anymore, I thought I was just a nobody orphan on a backwater planet, then it turns out I'm actually a Jedi, but now I don't even think I'm that." Ezra spoke, his voice raising with passion ever so slightly. "But none of that matters, what matters is that through all of that." Ezra raised his hand and pointed a finger at Sabine. "I had trusted you with my life since the moment I met you. I told you everything, because we were a crew, we were a family. You even told me that yourself the first day that we met!"

"If you've always trusted me so much then how come you didn't talk to me for six months? How come you didn't tell me what happened on Malachor?" Sabine retorted.

"Because you would think less of me! It doesn't matter!" He snapped aggressively. "What matters is that when I was recovering from this…" Ezra raised his cybernetic arm at Sabine like it was something he was ashamed of. "...this thing! You didn't even bother to come see me." Ezra shook his head.

"That's when I realized that despite falling for you, despite looking at you as my closest friend, I barely know a thing about you." Ezra continued his voice hitching with sadness.

 _Fell for me?! And I had thought he just wanted to sleep with me._ Sabine panicked inwardly, unsure how to handle what he had just told her. She had no idea what to say to that so she did what she normally did, remain silent.

Sabine recalled all of the times that Ezra had tried to learn more about her, following her around like a lost loth-cat. Asking her about music, painting, trying to get her to talk about the academy and Mandalore, every time she had simply deflected, redirecting the question and learning more and more about him. All that coupled with what he had said to her in Mandalorian. He was actually interested in her she realized. He wasn't just shamelessly flirting with her and trying to get in her pants like every other guy in the galaxy.

At first, she just didn't want him to know about her, but slowly as she learned more about Ezra she realized how much she had admired him. He was so kind to everybody and full of life, and he looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing in the galaxy. She didn't want to lose that. She didn't want to lose the way that somebody she truly felt for looked at her, and if she told him about who she truly was she knew he would never look at her the same way.

 _He would think less of me._ She told herself, repeating the same excuse Ezra had only just used, but she believed she was right. If Ezra knew what she had done for the Empire, she was sure that he would never trust her again.

 _I was selfish, I led him on into thinking I was someone I'm not._ Sabine realized, scowling at herself and swore under her breath. She had been in the wrong on this.

At the very least, she knew that he had one thing wrong. She told herself that she could handle him hating her, but not for the wrong reasons.

"I did visit you, Ezra!" She responded after a moment's silence. "I was by your side while you were unconscious and then while everybody else was saying how you would never fight again I went and stole that damn arm from Solstice Tech!" She was practically yelling at this point. Tears welling up in her eyes as she recalled the sight of his damaged body being carried off of the ship by Ahsoka. It was so bad that everybody thought he was dead at first.

"You what?" Ezra asked incredulously.

 _Crap. I should not have said that._ Sabine said to herself, she didn't want him to know about it but she had let her frustration and anger get the better of her.

"Well, yeah...I couldn't let you lose the one thing that makes you who you are." She said trying not to stumble over her words.

"What am I, Sabine?" Ezra asked, she could feel the apprehension in his voice. As if he was almost scared to hear her answer.

"You're a fighter, Ezra." She responded finding confidence in herself. Regardless of how scared she was to tell him even a bit about how she felt, she knew that he needed it. "And honestly I couldn't handle the idea of losing you, regardless of how far we've grown apart. So we broke into Solstice Tech and the rest is history." She shrugged and avoided eye contact with his electric eyes as best as she could.

"Sabine…" Ezra leaned down in front of her. She let herself look up only a bit, he was so close that she could see every color and line in the irises of his eyes. She tried to hold back a warm flutter in her heart as she saw the familiar expression on his face, the same one he made every time he was about to make an apology.

"I didn't know. I-" The dark compartment suddenly flooded with light from above revealing the massive Wookiee first mate holding the door panel with one hand, the captain standing next to him with a crooked grin on his face.

"We're here." The captain stated cockily. Sabine and Ezra pulled themselves out of the cramped compartment reluctantly, both secretly wishing they had a few more moments to finish their conversation.

"What took so long? I thought you said this piece of junk was fast." Sabine remarked as she stretched her back getting a few satisfactory pops from her spine.

The Wookiee growled in response as the captain pointed a finger at Sabine. "Hey! This ship did the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs!"

"Yeah yeah I'm sure it did." Sabine retorted playfully. The captain opened his mouth ready to yell at Sabine but was cut off by Ezra tapping him on the shoulder. The man looked at Ezra quizzically at first but then smiled as Ezra extended an open palm with the rest of the agreed payment on it.

"Thanks." Ezra ended the tryst before it continued as the captain look the payment happily and let Sabines little sleight go.

 _Always about the money._

"The coordinates you specified are just a few clicks into the forest, this is as close as we can get you." The captain explained as he beckoned them to follow him through the Corellian light freighter.

"Why couldn't you get us any closer?" Sabine asked curiously. She wasn't familiar with Kashyyyk. Her knowledge of the planet and their people only extended to the time they saved the Wookiees from Kessel mines and the time she had tried learning Shyriiwook to annoy Zeb.

The captain and first mate led Ezra and Sabine through the ship's airlock and down the ramp revealing one of the most astonishing sights either of them had seen.

They stepped out onto a sandy beach, a misty gray ocean to their left. That's not what caught their attention though. To their right was a wall of trees, twice as big around as the ship they came in on and so tall that they disappeared into the mist before the tops could be seen.

"That's why." The captain explained casually. "Welcome to Kashyyyk, kids."

"It's beautiful." Ezra said, his eyes and slack jaw revealing that he was as awestruck as Sabine was. The Wookiee howls in what Sabine could only assume was agreement, it had an affirming tone to it from what she knew of Shyriiwook.

"It's a shame." Sabine added on. "With what the empire has done to the Wookiees, selling them off as slaves, what they're doing to the planet could be even worse." The wookiee howled again this time sounding like he was angry or in pain. The captain seemed to know what he said and nodded in agreement.

"We'll make them pay for it." Ezra said, looking over at the Wookiee.

 _Wait, he understood the Wookiee? When did Ezra learn Shyriiwook?_

The wookiee nodded to Ezra then followed his captain back up the ramp onto the ship.

"When did you learn Shyriiwook?" Sabine asked once they were alone.

"...I didn't." He answered vaguely, his voice sounding distant and his face expressing concern. "I just, understood it all of a sudden. I reached out to the Wookiee in the force then I just understood him." Sabine cocked her head curiously hoping he would explain that a bit more as she knew very little about the force. Instead Ezra simply shook his head and pulled out his GPS. "Come on, we're late for our rendezvous with the intelligence team."

"Oh yeah, no big deal. You just suddenly learned one of the most difficult languages in the galaxy."

Ezra's lips curled revealing a slight smirk.

 _There he is._ Sabine smiled as she put on her helmet satisfied to know for sure that the old Ezra was still under there. The two took one last look at the ocean then started walking towards the treeline.

 _You continue to impress me, Ezra Bridger._

* * *

It looked like midnight, but Ezra's clock said the exact opposite. It was actually midday, the sun was directly above them but the forest was so thick and tall that the sun never reached the forest floor on Kashyyyk and so Ezra and Sabine had been walking through a nearly pitch black forest for the past two hours before making it to the rendezvous point.

The air in the forest was heavy and damp, it weighed on Ezra as much as the agony and sorrow in the life around him. He could feel the trees, the life and death that they had witnessed. The wildlife was no better, the skittish animals scurrying away in fear. Whatever the empire was doing here, Ezra knew it wasn't any good if it was causing this much of an imbalance in the force.

"What's taking them so long?" Sabine whispered with an irritated voice. Ezra could feel that she was on edge too, everything was wrong in this forest. Ezra was wondering the same thing as Sabine, they were late themselves so the intelligence team should have been there by then. He closed his eyes reaching out in the force to see if he could feel anybody.

Ezra reached out in the force, pushing his mind further into the menacing forest. The dark primal emotions of the forest overwhelmed his mind infecting his own thoughts and dampening his spirit, slowly he was able to filter it out. The process was slow and exhausting but eventually paid off as he singled out a signature that didn't belong, it was dark and sad like its surroundings but it was also contained. While the emotions of the forest echoed throughout and over Ezra's heart and mind like screams of a fearful people, this one was alien. It didn't belong there and it was coming straight towards them.

"We're not alone." Ezra whispered warningly. Sabine shook off her anxiety as Ezra tried to drop the weight of pain he had just experienced to no avail. The two backed into the cover of darkness and massive roots of the tree they had been waiting under. While Ezra unholstered his blaster pistol with his left hand Sabine faced the other direction shouldering her blaster rifle. Her anxiety had quickly been pushed back and replaced with nothing but focus.

The faint noise of dirt crushing underneath a boot caught their attention. Ezra levelled his blaster and turned, aiming at the noise to reveal a man just a few feet away, his own blaster raised at Sabine and Ezra as well. Whoever the strange man was, Ezra knew he wasn't imperial, his hair was well maintained but he was far too scruffy and hardened to be an imperial.

"Do you have a Meiloorun on you? I'm starving." Ezra lowered his blaster as the man said the code phrase in a unique accent that he hadn't heard before. Sabine kept her blaster ready, still trained on the man causing Ezra to roll his eyes in annoyance at his untrusting comrade.

"No, they're easy to find on Dxun this time of year though." Ezra repeated his side of the code phrase back to the newcomer who paused for a slight moment before hesitantly lowering his blaster as well.

Ezra quirked an eyebrow curiously as the man let out a high pitch whistle then extended an open hand.

"Cassian Andor. Rebel Intelligence." He stated plainly as Ezra took the man's hand and shook it.

"Ezra Bridger. Rebel uhh agent." Ezra replied awkwardly realizing that he didn't really have an official title in the rebellion yet.

"You're the jedi?" Cassian asked rhetorically. Ezra nodded coyly in response.

"Yeah, something like that. This is Sabine Wren." Ezra answered and nodding towards Sabine who had finally begun to lower her blaster.

"Weapons specialist. Just here for security." Sabine added on in explanation.

Cassian smirked, a disbelieving look on his face."So even Jedi need protection then?"

"Oh." Sabine quipped back in her sarcastic tone. "You have no idea." she said causing Ezra to roll his eyes and sigh. Sabine never passed up an opportunity to embarrass him.

A massive dark gray droid came out from behind a mossy boulder just past Cassian, an imperial insignia painted onto his shoulder and white lights illuminating his sensors.

"Imperial!" Sabine jumped up, her finger immediately ready to squeeze the trigger on her weapon before Cassian jumped in the way, his hands up in surrender.

"He's reprogrammed! He's the rest of my team." Cassian explained. Ezra stepped toward Sabine, placing his hand on the top of her blaster and pushing it down cautiously trying to defuse the situation. The droid hadn't made any move yet to indicate that Cassian was lying or wrong so Ezra was inclined to trust them. Sabine glanced at Ezra, staring daggers from behind her visor as she vehemently complied with her comrades unspoken request.

"I am reprogrammed as Captain Andor says. You can trust me." The droid explained in a calm and pragmatic voice that betrayed his intimidating stature.

"Yeah and I'm not Mandalorian." Sabine retorted.

"I find that response unconvincing as you are currently wearing armor worn only by Mandalorians." The large security droid replied as he approached the three humans, the whirring noise of his servos standing out in the natural noises of their surroundings.

"Wow," Sabine replied placing a hand on her hip. "Nothing gets by you." Ezra couldn't see her face but knew she was rolling her eyes behind her helmet.

"She was being sarcastic, K2." Cassian explained like a caring parent trying to teach his child.

"I know." the droid replied with an innocent shrug of his shoulders causing Ezra to chuckle. He appreciated the droid's attitude as much as he could tell that Sabine hated it.

"I'm not usually the one to say this, but can we get to work?" Ezra butted in before Sabine could reply. He wanted to cut the tension and get to work. Ezra celebrated a moment of satisfaction as Sabine simply nodded in response and K2 remained silent.

"I'm K-2SO. I specialize in battle strategy but have been uploaded with translation software for Shyriiwook for this mission." The droid chimed in a hint of pride.

 _He must have a complete personality._ Ezra remarked to himself noticing more unique quirks in the droid who seemed to even display small amounts of body language.

"Don't forget killing." Sabine chipped in venomously causing all the group to look at her curiously. "Also, Ezra here as it turns out can understand Shyriiwook. So maybe you should stick to killing, it's what your model was made for anyways." Her voice dripped with distaste and hostility causing Ezra to wonder what her problem was with this droid. Whatever it was, it was a personal vendetta, which meant he would never know.

"You are correct." K-2SO replied innocently again. "But I will not kill you."

"Good!" Ezra interrupted again losing his patience for the back and forth. "So nobody's killing anybody."

"Do you know what the Empire is doing here?" Ezra asked quickly, hoping the droid and Mandalorian would take the hint and get to work.

Cassian nodded in response. "They're using the Wookiees for slave labor, cutting down the forests for lumber, strip mining the entire planet, and taking every bit of food they can to feed their army.

"Has there been any resistance?" Sabine asked.

"Yes, we made contact with resistance movement led by a Wookiee chieftain not far from here. The Empire has been trying to track them down but hasn't had any luck as far as we know."

"Good. Hopefully they will be open to an alliance." Ezra replied.

"Agreed." K-2SO said.

"Well, take us to them then. Hopefully the rumors about Wookiee trusting Jedi is true." Ezra stated dryly, the past conversation and the emotions of the planet weighing on his mind heavily. His optimistic view about the mission had quickly become pessimistic convincing him that this mission would be much more complicated than originally thought.

Cassian and the droid beckoned Sabine and Ezra to follow as they turned back into the forest, leading them through the dark slowly towards their destination.

 _I've got a bad feeling about this._

* * *

The three humans and droid were led into the main hall of the cavernous tree by two Wookiees with another two behind them, all fully armed with bowcasters and vibroblades. As soon as the rebels had arrived at the Wookiee settlement on the ground floor they were disarmed and escorted to where they were now.

Now Ezra once again stood in awe as they saw how the Wookiees lived among the trees, how their furniture and decor was made directly out of the trees that housed them, the two lived in perfect harmony.

The grand hall was well lit by tall lamps that radiated with a soft warmth and the walls were lined with woven tapestries, some were images of hunting or great beasts while others were more abstract hinting at a culture that most would not assume the Wookiees had based on their appearance. The four Wookiees led Ezra and the others towards the end of the hall where a Wookiee stood on a dias in front of what Ezra could only assume was a throne carved out of the tree and adorned with leaves, branches, and furs.

 _That must be the chieftain._ Ezra said, noting the way that all of the other natives looked at him. He was easily a head taller than any of the others and his shoulders were twice as broad. His fur was mostly chestnut brown with large streaks of gray hinting at an older age. Despite his visible aging, Ezra could tell that the chieftain was still a force to be reckoned with, his face and chest were bare at spots where there were massive gashes of scars and in his hand he held a glaive that matched his own height with a menacing tooth on the bottom end of it which he used to balance the weapon on the floor of the tree.

 _Right, Ahsoka told me that Wookiees value hunting, that tooth must be a trophy._

Ezra and his comrades now stood in front of the chieftain who looked down upon them, a stern and unrevealing look in his eyes at the sight before him. The guards who brought them in, stepped aside while another equally grizzled warrior next to the chieftain handed him Ezra's lightsaber.

" _Thank you, brother."_ Ezra felt the warrior bristle in annoyance in the force before standing back as the chieftain took in the design of the saber then glanced to Ezra, his eyes still revealing nothing as the four rebels stood before him side by side.

" _You fight the empire?"_ The chieftain asked, sitting back down on his throne and laying his glaive across his lap. K-2 translated for Sabine and Cassian while Ezra waited for Cassian to respond, after all he was the one who had experience in recruiting.

"Yes. We're part of a larger rebellion, an alliance against the empire." Cassian answered. "We need your help."

Ezra watched the chieftain as he leaned back into his chair. " _My people have no help to give. The empire has taken everything from us."_ He answered. Ezra's hope faltered at the immediate denial but he knew what the Wookiee said to be true, he could feel it, the chieftain was afraid for his people, joining an alliance would only risk his people and his planet more.

"They've taken everything from us too but we still fight!" Sabine answered from next to Ezra.

" _You have help, child. Our world is being destroyed, our people being stolen and slaughtered. We have nothing, only ourselves."_ The chieftain replied and K-2 translated happily putting emphasis on calling Sabine a child who merely glared at the droid in response.

"His words, not mine." The droid explained.

 _These two are going to be the death of me._ Ezra said to himself as the antagonistic behavior seemed to never end.

"We are offering to help you." Ezra finally spoke up ignoring the sideways glance from Cassian who planned on offering no such thing. "You say you have nothing, well we can supply you with weapons and food in exchange for your assistance, we need fighters for our cause."

" _You do not understand, we have no soldiers to offer. All of our people are being enslaved. If I offer any people to the cause, there will be nobody left here to protect Kashyyyk."_ Chieftain replied.

"But-" Ezra paused at the massive wave of shame and fear washed over him like a cascade. It was from the chieftain. Ezra could feel it, he was afraid. Afraid of what the empire had done, what they would do, and that fear was keeping him from doing anymore than he already was doing to fight them.

" _I am sorry, Jedi. Our people are not as strong as we once were. We cannot help you. You must leave now before you are destroyed by the empire as our people has been."_ The chieftain sat down, a distant look in his eyes as if his very soul had abandoned him.

"You can't just give up!" Ezra plead, stepping forward.

The warrior next to the chieftain raised his bowcaster at Ezra warningly. " _My brother, the chieftain told you to leave. We will not help you. Now leave before we have to kill you, you are not welcome here."_

"Ezra. Come on, we can't make them help." Sabine placed a comforting hand on Ezra's shoulder as she spoke to him. Pulling Ezra away from the danger of the weapon aimed directly at his chest she simply gave him a knowing look, they were both frustrated, angry. They had come all this way but were immediately snubbed and there was nothing they could do. Ezra felt comfort in Sabine's actions, finding solace in knowing that his Mandalorian comrade understood.

 _It's okay._ She said with her eyes, reminding him that the result wasn't his fault. Sometimes missions failed as quickly as they started.

The chieftain stood back up and came forward to Ezra. His hand extended forward offering Ezra back his lightsaber. Ezra took the lightsaber back gracefully, nodding his head in thanks doing his best to be polite despite being upset as he was. He understood the fear that the chieftain had, he had experienced it his whole life while on the streets of Lothal, how was he expected to help others if he could barely even keep himself alive.

" _I am sorry, Jedi. But I must look out for my people first. We cannot handle our war here and yours."_ The chieftain dictated sincerely. Ezra nodded his head in acceptance of the apology. Cassian and Sabine nodded as well once K-2 translated for them. Their mission was over.

"Come on, our ship is a half day's walk, if we leave now we can be out of here by the next cycle." Cassian said somberly, an untelling look in his dark eyes. Ezra wondered if this had happened to the man before.

Sabine's gloved hand slid down Ezra's shoulder grazing his shoulder and sending a tingling sensation down his spine causing him to blush slightly. He still had no idea how he felt about her after his revelation, but that didn't stop his heart from racing just at her touch, or at the look she gave him as she spoke. Those feelings, he knew would never fade."Come on, Ezra, let's go home."

Ezra nodded somberly in return, looking back at the chieftain and his brother one last time hoping that maybe they would change their mind. They didn't.

 _Another failed mission._ Ezra sighed, his eyes moved to his metal hand, the fluttering in his heart quickly turning into a tight burning anger.

 _At least this one won't leave a mark._

* * *

 **Authors Note: Longest chapter yet! As always please review and PM and a special shout out to twm2002 for beta reading for me and encouraging me to keep up with what I'm doing! He also writes and has a really well written in progress rebels story so if you are looking for more stuff to read check out his profile! Sorry not a lot of action happened in this chapter but the next two chapters will be posted simultaneously due to the first one being short and the second one being almost nothing but action. Thanks so much for reading everybody!**


	6. Visions in the Force

Chapter 5: Visions in the Force

Ahsoka Tano didn't shake easily. At the moment though, there was no other way to describe her other than on edge. She had felt this way ever since Dantooine. At first she had thought it was just worry for Ezra and his injuries, but even after he recovered it persisted. That dreaded feeling that warned of imminent danger. It didn't bode well that the feeling had first come to her when Ezra identified the Jedi on the datapad. Then after that, the mysterious mission from Bail. Encrypted datapad only with coordinates to a planet, then coordinates on the planet. Nothing else.

Ahsoka double checked the coordinates one more time, making sure she had read them right. She had been to this planet before, and quite frankly she would have been happy to never return.

Tatooine. She stepped out of the private hangar and was instantly hit with a tirade of dust and memories.

Memories of her first mission as a Padawan, memories of Anakin. She had toyed with the idea that he was the one who led her here but the realist in her shut that down quickly, forcing her to remember what Anakin had become.

 _Anakin is dead, Ahsoka. That thing…_ she shuddered at the thought of her encounter with Vader. _...that monster is all that's left._

Ahsoka wiped the coordinates on the datapad and hid it in a pouch under her cloak, she pulled up her threadbare hood both to block the heat of the two sweltering suns as well as to draw less attention to herself. She pulled out her GPS and followed the direction she needed to go. It went far beyond the edge of the city meaning she would need a speeder.

She walked through the city for nearly an hour before she reached the edge. She quickly found a speeder for rent and paid the renter upfront and in full, not in the mood for drawing attention by haggling she got in the speeder and took off. As she entered the wasteland she felt something peculiar, a presence that felt both familiar and alien to her. She couldn't quite place it, but it was faint, merely a whisper as if it was trying to hide. The feeling only grew stronger as she approached her destination.

After another hour she had finally made her way to the canyons, not far from Jabba's palace if she recalled directly. The presence was much closer now, only a few hundred yards away. Ahsoka disembarked from the speeder, deciding it was safer to approach quietly on foot. She hadn't ruled out that it was a trap yet and wouldn't until she was absolutely positive.

Slowly, Ahsoka made her way through a narrow crevasse until she came into a larger opening. At the center of the opening was a man sitting on a small rock facing away from her, hunched over a fire.

He wore dark brown robes with a tall hood that covered all of his features. Whoever it was, it was the same entity reaching out to her in the force, she could feel its intentions now. It had been guiding her. Helping her find her way to it.

 _Only a jedi could do that…_ She thought to herself as she approached the man more out of curiosity than anything else at this point.

"It's been a long time, Ahsoka." The Togruta's heart skipped a beat and she stopped dead in her tracks when she heard the man speak. She knew that voice, it was familiar but now alien, just as the presence had been. It was calming and full of wisdom but there was a newfound sense of humility, of doubt, that hadn't been there years ago.

"It can't be…" Ahsoka whispered, her eyes widening as she realized just who the man was as he stood to face her. Seeing his face was the final nail in the coffin, it was really him. She began to speak "Master-"

"-It's just Ben now, young one." Obi Wan interrupted with a warm smile. He gestured towards the fire. "Please sit. We have a lot to talk about."

* * *

"We shouldn't have left. We could have convinced them to join." Ezra complained angrily, his brow furrowed as the four rebels walked through the dark forest to their destination.

"We had no choice, we made our offer, they didn't accept. We can't force them." Cassian explained pragmatically from behind K-2 who led the group single file through the forest. Their legs were completely submerged in the heavy fog that now covered the ground.

"But they could have used our help, why wouldn't they want to join?" Sabine asked in defense of Ezra.

"Fear." Ezra answered, realizing the answer to his own questions.

"What?" Sabine asked, stopping in her tracks and looking back at Ezra, her helmeted head tilted slightly.

"He's afraid. They all were. I could feel it." Ezra explained somberly. He could still feel the echoes of emotion he had experienced at the rebel camp. The fear being the largest component that completely overwhelmed him. "They were afraid that if they helped us, it would make things worse for them. The chieftain just wanted to protect his people, his home." Ezra explained as he felt a sort of sympathy towards the chieftain. He was trapped in fear and had no idea what to do so he would simply have his small rebellion keep to itself just to stay alive, to elongate their time before the empire squeezed the last bit of life out of the planet.

"You can feel it?" Sabine asked as she began walking again. Ezra followed suit cautiously, watching every dark corner and reaching out with the force. He had been on edge the whole time he had been on this planet, paranoid, not unlike every other living thing on the planet.

"I can feel all of it. Every fear, every emotion." Ezra lowered his head shamefully at the sight of Sabine's shoulders tensing up. He chastised himself in his mind for answering her. Sabine didn't like the idea of telling people how she felt of her own will. The idea of somebody being able to just feel those emotions against her will definitely made her uncomfortable, and closed off. Ezra noted as her mind suddenly closed in on itself, shutting everything off as it had built a wall around itself. If he wanted he simply could have pushed through the proverbial wall, but he respected Sabine's privacy.

"That sounds overwhelming." Cassian chipped in.

"It is." Ezra answered truthfully. The whole planet was broken in the force, off balance, and all of that was taken on by Ezra. Whether he wanted it or not, it weighed on him and exhausted him at every step. He just wanted to get off of the planet, away from everything.

The group fell into silence once more and made their way through the forest for a few more hours. Eventually they took a break. While K2 powered down to save power, Cassian laid down using his backpack as a pillow to get some rest and Sabine took to checking her weapons. It was a habit of hers that she often took to when something was on her mind, Ezra had noticed.

Ezra's shoulders slumped, he had started to drag his feet by the time they stopped to rest and his eyelids had seemingly gained weight, threatening to close as he leaned his head back on a mossy root that was surprisingly comfortable. His mind was still clouded, angry, and upset from both the planet itself and from the events of the day. Deciding he just wanted to sleep and forget about it all for a bit, Ezra let his eyelids slide shut and closed off his mind to his surroundings, leaving him with only his own thoughts and emotions.

Slowly, Ezra fell into sleep.

* * *

White helmets and black eyes, some of them with blood on them, others scorched with laser burns, dented, or covered in soot. They fought hard to get wherever they were.

 _Did I get captured?_ Ezra asked himself hazily, he tried to move but couldn't. He realized quickly that he had no control over his body, or his eyes, they were moving of their own accord as if he was watching through somebody else's…

 _Oh no._ Ezra recognized the setting behind the troopers as they looked down on him, rifles aimed at his head. It was the inside of the great tree, at the Wookiee rebel camp. Ezra's eyes turned from the troopers and towards a giant mass of fur on the ground towards the entrance, it was surrounded by at least a dozen bloodied corpses of troopers. One of them laid on his back with the chieftains glaive protruding from his chest like a flagpole with it's blade completely buried in the trooper's body.

 _He's dead._ Ezra recognized the gray fur on the Wookiees body among the dead troopers, he had put up a good fight. A pang of anger surged through Ezra's heart, whether it was his or whoever he was watching through he didn't know, nor did he care. The chieftain died protecting his people.

The vision blurred into fog then re-emerged with a blinding light, it was sunlight. Ezra looked down from the sunlight and saw shackled furry hands. Along his chest were massive scars.

 _The chieftain's brother! He's still alive._ The familiar feel of the barrel of a rifle pressed into Ezra's back prodding him forward like an animal in a slaughterhouse. Begrudgingly, the Wookiee began to move and looked back up in front revealing a sight that shook Ezra to the bone. Before him was an empty valley, massive stumps cut down to the ground as far as the eye could see. In between the stumps, a long column of Wookiees six wide strung their way through the empty valley in between the trees that were once their homes. On each side of the column were Imperial walkers, corralling them towards a prison-like base that had multiple landing pads that contained transport ships. Ezra recognized the ship models, they weren't for troops or civilians, they were for prisoners, or in this case, the hundreds of Wookiees that were to be enslaved.

The barrel pressed into Ezra's back again, this time the chieftain's brother didn't comply. Ezra's sight blurred as his head whipped around looking down on the agitator, a stormtrooper nearly half his height.

"Move it furball!" The trooper demanded. Ezra felt a primal rage boil in his chest, the Wookiee let out a bloodcurdling warcry. His shackled hands lunged out at the troopers neck and lifted him up to his level. The trooper started to scream but as his air supply was cut it just turned into choking as he feebly tried to pry away the Wookiee's hands. Without any hesitation the Wookiee swung the trooper over his head and slammed his body down into a flat rock like a hammer. Ezra heard the troopers last scream instantly cut short as his armor and back snapped like a twig under the force.

"Hey!" Ezra heard another trooper as more soldiers came into view. One of them shot, the red net of electricity sending a piercing lance of agony through his body and bringing him to his knees.

The Wookiee tried to stand back up as the shooter came into view.

 _Come on, get up!_ Ezra protested in panic. The trooper was on him now as he brought the butt of his rifle up about to hit Ezra directly in the face. In defiance, the Wookiee let out another primal warcry, his rage and agony all balled up in one as the trooper brought the rifle down. The vision faded to red as Erza's face lit up in agony from the impact. His head swirled in a daze, the red slowly turning to black, then he heard a familiar voice calling to him.

"Ezra!"

 _What? But I'm not actually there._

"Ezra!" Ezra's vision completely faded to black. Somebody grabbed his shoulders and shook him violently.

"Ezra, wake up!" Something slapped Ezra's cheek.

"OW!" Ezra came to with a start, his eyes opening to reveal a completely different sight than he was expecting. Instead of the black eyes of a stormtrooper helmet, there were wide and worried golden eyes staring back at him. "What was that for?!" Ezra asked incredulously, bringing his hand up to his stinging cheek to check for blood.

"You were screaming in your sleep!" She explained defensively. Behind her Cassian and K2 both nodded, an apprehensive look on the former's face.

"I- I had a dream"

 _Was it just a dream?_

Ezra closed his eyes and focused, his brow furrowed as he concentrated on reaching out. His mind travelled through the forest back to where the rebel camp was, except now there was nothing but death.

 _No._ Ezra let out a string of curse words.

"Well yeah I know it was a dream, you were sleeping." Sabine retorted sarcastically.

"No, Sabine." Ezra rolled his eyes. "It was a vision." If Sabine wasn't worried before, she was now. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened.

"A vision?!" Cassian asked. Sabine and Ezra turned to him, their concerned and confused expressions turning stern.

"I must admit I find that highly unlikel-" K2 began to say but was cut off by Sabine.

"Shut up." Sabine interjected. "They're real." She said looking back at Cassian. "I've seen his visions come true." Ezra felt a small amount of comfort in having Sabine defend him.

"You can see the future then?" Cassian asked apprehensively.

Ezra nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, this time it wasn't the future though, it was the past and present." His heart instantly stopped as he spoke.

 _If the second part of the vision just happened._ Ezra recalled the column of Wookiees being sent into the base, the Imperial prisoner transports all ready to go on the landing pads.

"Oh no."

"What?" Sabine asked as she placed a hand on Ezra's shoulder. Ezra quickly brushed her hand off, got to his feet, and threw his backpack over his shoulders.

"We have to go! Now!"

"Wait, hold on!" Sabine grabbed Ezra and turned him around to face her. Ezra tried to turn away but her hands on his shoulders held him in place with a firm grip as she looked over him, her closed off signature permeating with concern. "What did you see?"

"The Wookiees." Ezra explained. "The rebels, the Empire captured them, they're going to enslave them all! We have to help them!"

"We can't help them! They're gone!" Cassian replied, Ezra bristled in annoyance, he knew Cassian was trying to get a grip on everything regarding the vision still, but they didn't have time for this.

"Of course we can help them! If we let the Empire take them off world, they will all die as slaves!" He protested.

"We can't go up against the Empire like that, you can't expect us to just go get ourselves killed for people not willing to help us. The mission is over, we have to leave." Cassian replied. Ezra sighed in frustration and turned from the others, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Ezra…" Ezra turned to see Sabine coming up next to him, her thin eyebrows raised sympathetically and her lips slightly open. It took everything he had not to get lost in her eyes at that moment. "...Cassian's right. There's nothing we can do."

"Of course there is!" Sabine stepped back, retracting her hand in shock as Ezra yelled angrily.

 _Damnit._ Ezra cursed at himself for losing his calm. He took another deep breath and thought carefully, trying to formulate the right things to say. He smirked slightly at the thought of Hera. _She would know what to say. Wait that's it!_ Ezra recalled the first mission he had gone on with the crew of the Ghost, what Hera had said to him, what she had inspired him to do.

Ezra took a deep breath and carefully looked at his fellow rebels, making eye contact with all of them as he spoke. "If all you do is fight for your own life then your life is worth nothing. Those Wookiees need us now and we are the only ones who can help, if we do nothing but fight for ourselves right now then we are no better than the Empire." Ezra's eyes voice filled with passion as he spoke. The rest of them listened intently, Sabine smirking slightly in pride as Ezra finished.

"But we have no hope of winning, there's just four of us against an army." Cassian replied.

Ezra shrugged his shoulders and reminded himself of a fact he had realized upon starting with the rebellion, every win they had was because of hope, not because of numbers or advantages, but because they had hope.

"Rebellions are built on hope." Ezra answered simply. "Besides, it's not just the four of us going up against an army." He added on with a smile as Cassian and Sabine raised an eyebrow. "It's the four of us and an army of Wookiees against an army."

"It's still pretty risky, Ezra." Sabine replied cautiously, he knew she wasn't being cowardly, she was just being smart. He knew that even if they got the Wookiees fighting, their chances of coming out alive were slim. But he had hope, something the empire didn't have. He also had a plan, and he knew just how to get Sabine on board with it.

"You'll get to blow some stuff up." Ezra replied. Sabine's eyes lit up like lights and her lips curled revealing a toothy smile.

"I'm in." She replied almost instantly. Ezra smiled allowing himself a bit of self pride as he looked at the smile of his Mandalorian friend. To him, it was the most beautiful thing in the galaxy. It was also something he hadn't seen in far too long as well.

"I'm in as well." Cassian added in. Ezra nodded to him in thanks then all three looked at K2 who had remained uncharacteristically silent.

"Do I even get a choice in the matter?" The droid asked.

"No." Cassian answered plainly. The droid's shoulders sagged and he hung his head in response as he sighed.

"Then I suppose I'm in as well."

"Good." Ezra said nodding at the droid as well. He bent down and picked up Sabine's rifle then handed it to her. She nodded in thanks and primed the blaster cell while Cassian gathered his belongings.

Ezra smiled at Sabine who smiled back before coyly looking at the ground as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ears. Whatever was on her mind, Ezra knew he would find out once the mission was over so he didn't push her shyness.

"Come on." Ezra said to Sabine who hid her smile and looked back at him. "We've got some work to do."

Sabine nodded, a fiery look of determination taking over her golden eyes. "Right beside you, Ezra." Ezra turned away and took the lead, following his GPS that showed an area nearby that looked similar to what he had seen in the vision. Quietly and unheard by Ezra, Sabine whispered to herself.

"Always."

* * *

"You must be empty. Clear minded and balanced. Expel your conflict, and trust in the force." The wise man said, his calm aged voice speaking of decades of experience. "Be one with the force."

Kanan furrowed his brow painfully and tried to ignore the beads of sweat dripping down his temple. His teacher made it seem so simple. In truth, it wasn't. He had been conflicted every moment of his life since Order 66. The past six months had only been worse. He wanted to stay with his friends, his family, with Ezra. Kanan let out a sigh of worry for his padawan, he knew something had happened to him not long ago, he had felt it through their bond. Whatever it was, it was immensely painful and tore through Kanan's resolve like a blaster bolt. His training wasn't complete though, and Ezra survived and recovered whatever crucible he had been through. Kanan knew he was different for it though, the young boy had lost something in that event.

 _I'll find out when I return._

"Focus, Kanan Jarrus." Kanan cleared his mind at the prompt from his teacher. He shifted his legs to get some blood flowing. He had been sitting on his knees, palms on his thighs for half of the day now.

Kanan opened his mind, letting in everything around him. At first it was overwhelming. There was too much to identify to place every individual living thing. The trees, plants, animals, every insect, and every bacteria. They all had unique signatures in the force and there were hundreds of thousands of them just within their ten meter radius. Kanan had been training for this though, slowly but surely, the blind Jedi Knight catalogued each signature in his mind, trusting in the force to show him where they were, how they were moving. He had done it before. This time something different happened though. The darkness he had seen since Malachor illuminated slowly, Revealing lights all of unique colors and shapes, around him.

Kanan gasped, his heart beating faster as he started to see, not in the way he used to. This was different.

"I can see everything, in the force." Kanan explained as he felt a sense of curiosity emanate from his teacher. A familiar ocean of swirling greens and browns that Kanan now realized moved the same way as the colors of the trees around him. It was the first time Kanan actually saw Bendu, the creature that had called him to this planet. He had the shape of a man, but Kanan knew that wasn't the enigma's true form. When he had first met Bendu he had actually walked right into him, or it, Kanan still wasn't quite sure what Bendu was, but it was like nothing he had ever met before.

"Everything?" Bendu asked, his deep voice echoing through the valley even in his smaller form.

Kanan smiled, observing a small rodent scurry between two bushes. It's tantric waves of energy shooting in and out like bolts of lightning. "Everything." Kanan rejoiced happily.

 _WHACK_ Kanan recoiled as a round wooden object smacked him across the temple, his vision dulled, the lights fading slightly as he lost his focus. "OW!" Kanan yelled rubbing his bruising temple lightly.

"Did you see that?" Bendu asked teasingly. Kanan shook his head in disbelief.

"No!"

"I thought you said you saw everything." Bendu said, his old voice cracking with amusement as Kanan heard him stand. Following suit Kanan stood still, nursing his new bruise. A sudden warning in the force caused Kanan to put his hand in front of his face and catch something as it was thrown at him.

"You saw that." Bendu said as Kanan took the object in two hands observing it with touch. It was coarse, made of wood and long. It was a bo-staff not unlike the ones Kanan had trained with as a youngling.

"What do you want me to do wi- Whoa!" Kanan tilted his head back just in time to miss the same object swinging at his head again, Bendus' bo staff came so close that he could feel the wood swiping through his now fully grown beard. Raising his own staff Kanan moved into a defensive stance, leaning on his back leg and standing sideways from his opponent. He waited patiently for his opponent's next move. Searching with his new found sight, he could see Bendu circling him. he could hear him as well, but not the bo staff. That, he could only hear.

A sharp whistle of wood cutting through air warned Kanan a moment too late. He raised his staff to block his chest but lost his balance as Bendu redirected and swung at the back of his leg throwing him onto his back. Kanan's back spasmed in pain as he let out a loud oomph from falling. The dry dirt Kanan fell on clouded up from the disturbance and slowly settled on his sticky skin.

Kanan allowed himself a moment of frustration, letting his head fall back into the dirt. He heard Bendu step in front of him. He quickly noticed Bendu move, his form extending towards Kanans from above.

"We have made much progress today. There is still more work to be done." Kanan extended his hand toward Bendu's. He felt the older man's hand firmly grasp his own and help pull him back onto his feet. Once the younger man was on his feet he heard and felt the older take a few steps back then shift his feet. A combat stance.

"Now, again!" Bendu commanded.

 _Here we go again._ Kanan grimaced knowing full well how painful this was going to be, but he didn't care. His padawan needed him.

* * *

"Why Tatooine?" Ahsoka asked. It had been hours since she had sat down with Obi-Wan. He had answered all of her questions about what happened, filling in the blanks that she didn't know about what happened to Anakin and Palpatine. There was only one thing he always seemed to avoid though, why he was here of all places, rather than helping the rebellion.

Obi Wan remained silent, his eyes gently staring into the embers of the fire as Ahsoka waited for an answer.

"I'm afraid I cannot tell even you, young one." He said as he looked back to her. She could sense the regret in him as he spoke and empathized with him. She hated secrets as much as he did. They were what caused everything. Vader, the Emperor, all of it from secrets and lies.

"I understand, Master." She answered quietly then silently cursed at herself for the old habit.

"Just, Ben." He reminded her again.

"I'll remember that as soon as you stop calling me 'young one'." Ahsoka replied. "I'm almost as old as you were in the Clone Wars now you know." She said with a mischievous grin.

"Ahh there is the snarky Ahsoka that I remember." Obi wan responded. After another moment of silence. Obi Wan spoke again, this time the lightheartedness had gone from his voice. "Now, tell me what happened on Dantooine."

"How did you know about that?" Ahsoka asked.

"I felt a disturbance in the force. It was stronger than anything I have felt in years. I reached out to Bail Organa and he revealed to me how you still lived. So I reached out to you to see if it was true and here you are." He explained.

"Two force ghosts showed themselves to Ezra at the Jedi Enclave." Ahsoka explained.

"Who?" Obi Wan asked.

"Bastila Shan." Ahsoka answered shakily, not sure if she should even say the other name. She had told herself that maybe it was just a coincidence, that maybe the stories weren't true after all.

"And the other?"

Ahsoka sighed, the same feeling of uneasiness coming back to her as she reached into her pack and took out the holopad she had taken from the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. She activated it, scrolled down to the profile of the jedi Ezra claimed to see and handed it to Obi-Wan.

"Him." Ahsoka said quietly, a worried look on her face as Obi-Wan read the profile silently. He remained that way for a few minutes until Ahsoka finally broke the silence.

"I thought they were just legends. That none of it was true and that's why the Jedi library didn't have any actual data on it." She said.

"It's true." Obi-Wan finally looked up from the holo-pad. "All of it."

Ahsoka looked back to the fire blankly, her mind going over every scenario of what this could mean. She had always known the Mandalorian Wars had happened but was never sure about this. Now she knew for sure.

Ezra Bridger didn't just see any Jedi and Force ghosts didn't just appear at random, they chose who they would show themselves too, and they only did so with purpose. Bastila Shan showed herself to Ezra, but that wasn't what worried Ahsoka. Shan was a heroic and selfless Jedi Knight in the Mandalorian Wars. What worried her was the man, Jaden Montari. In his time, he was known as the Prodigal Knight, the Supreme Commander of the Republic Military in the Mandalorian Wars, and another name that bore nothing but fear in Ahsoka's heart. A name responsible for the death of millions in both the Mandalorian and the Jedi Civil wars.

Ahsoka spoke once more before the two force users fell into a long silence, both with a million questions and neither with a single answer.

"Ezra saw Revan."

* * *

 **Authors Note 1: For those of you who have no idea who Revan or Bastila Shan or the Mandalorian wars are or anything like that, do not worry. It will all be explained in the story soon enough. For those of you familiar with this particular lore, well you already have a general idea but some things will obviously be changed for the sake of the fic. Regardless, nobody here needs to worry about doing their own research or feeling lost. I will explain all, I promise.**

* * *

 **Authors Note 2: Hey everybody sorry for the late posting but I was really busy and my beta reader fell behind. As promised I have posted two chapters and this is the first of the two. As always please enjoy and review or PM! Thank you so much to everybody who has followed and supported this story so far it really means the world to me. I want to give a quick shout out to some extra supportive people like the guest who called the fic "Fire asf". That totally made my day and another shoutout to ODST Ezra B for reading and reviewing all of the chapters in like a day, I really appreciate your support! Also to ODST Ezra B, PM me and we can talk about that fic idea you had.**


	7. Odds of Survival

**Hey everybody just a quick reminder that I posted two chapters this week so remember to read "Visions in the Force" first in case you just always skip to the last available chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 6: Odds of Survival

"This is it." Ezra said as he and Cassian looked out from the treeline into the barren valley, the lone spaceport just a few miles away. Ezra closed his eyes and thanked the force to see the same three transport ships he had seen in his vision were still there. The prison base was a massive eyesore on the already destroyed valley. The thick gray walls designed to keep people in were roughly thirty meters tall. Behind the walls Ezra could make out the corner watchtowers, where the watchmen were no doubt facing in rather than out. There were only three Anti-air guns all placed around the landing pads that were about halfway up the wall closest to them with a hangar cutting into the wall. Despite being fifteen meters above the ground, the edges of the landing pads were lined with electrical fences. The menacing purple electricity channeling between each post were no doubt placed there to keep any prisoners from trying to jump. As much as Ezra hated each aspect of the design of the prison he was also grateful for it. It was designed to keep people in, not out. That flaw would work in their favor.

"You're sure?" Cassian asked.

Ezra nodded then pointed to a muddy trail of footprints and vehicle tracks that wove through the valley of stumps towards the base. "We're in the right place."

K2 and Sabine came up to stand on Ezra's right side, Ezra watched the latter with interest as she came to a stop and crossed her arms over a chest.

 _Just another day for you._ Ezra remarked and chuckled under his breath at how casual the Mandalorian could be about these situations.

"I calculate our odds of success as 4.532 percent." K2 said innocently raising his hands in defense as Sabine, Ezra, and Cassian glared daggers at him. He looked like a child being scolded for doing something wrong.

"Four point five, eh?" Sabine asked as she slung her rifle over her shoulder and clipped her helmet to her belt.

"4.532 percent, yes." K2 answered.

Ezra imagined that Cassian was a bit thrown off when Sabine simply shrugged before replying. "That's actually pretty good for us." She said punching Ezra on the shoulder playfully. Ezra smirked forcefully, the pain had gotten worse. He could have just put his guard up and closed himself off from everything but if he did that it could harm the mission. He needed to know as much as possible about what was going on in that base, and in order to do that he had to reach out in the force, and in turn he had to feel the fear, pain, and anger of every single current and past Wookiee to ever pass through.

 _It's for the mission, Ezra._ He said in an attempt to reassure himself. The pain he was experiencing now was worse than anything he had experienced before. It flowed in the air, desperately searching for a home and Ezra's mind acted as a perfect beacon. Every dead tree, plant, animal, every Wookiee past, and every Wookiee current, he could feel them, their last thoughts before passing, and their thoughts now if they were still alive and present.

"Let's get to it then." Cassian said. The group agreed as Sabine held out two open hands to Ezra who placed his blaster in one then hesitantly placed his saber in the other.

 _Your weapon is your life._ Kanan's words rung out in Ezra's head as Sabine carefully clipped the weapon to her belt.

"Don't worry. I'll take good care of it." Sabine said reassuringly. He nodded in response knowing she meant it. If anybody respected their weapons, it was Sabine.

Cassian fell into a crouch moving through the tall unhindered grass of the valley towards the base while Ezra closed his eyes and took a deep breath to center himself. The force cried out in protest warning him of the danger he was walking into as he tried to gain some focus. He needed more than just the mission with everything going through his mind.

A soft hand fell on Ezra's shoulder. He opened his eyes to see Sabine looking at him with worry. "You okay?" She asked.

Ezra sighed and looked back towards the spaceport. "Yeah." He lied.

"You know for growing up as a thief, you are an awful liar." Ezra smirked painfully at the sarcasm and looked back at Sabine expecting her to be smiling. Instead she was even more worried than before, a pained expression on her face, her eyes were glossy as his blue eyes met hers.

"You can feel it all can't you?" She asked softly. Ezra nodded in response and looked down at his feet as his own eyes began to well with tears.

"We're going to save them okay? And then we will be off of this planet." Sabine stepped closer, her chest almost touching his now causing him to shake whether it was anticipation or anxiety or excitement he had no idea. Sabine had never been this close to him. Not like this. He looked back up, his lip quivering as he tried to hold himself together. He could feel her breath on his neck as she brought her hand up to his cheek. The fabric was surprisingly soft and warm despite how it was blotted with all sorts of paint.

Ezra noticed a dash of uncertainty plague Sabine's golden eyes as she looked at his lips then back down at her feet. She stepped away allowing Ezra to let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Somehow he was calmer but also more frustrated. He figured after their talk on the smuggler's ship that Sabine would have given him more space but after that, a few old feelings started to resurface, one of them being his protectiveness. How he would do anything to keep the people he loved out of harm's way, and that definitely included Sabine. No matter how much he had told himself to move on in the past six months.

"I'll be okay." Ezra said with a newfound determination, he had found his focus.

"You better. We need you at one hundred percent, oh mighty jedi." She said with a light laugh before turning away to catch up with Cassian. Ezra watched her leave for a moment, allowing himself to think about what would have been if he hadn't pushed her away after Malachor.

 _She'd still be my best friend. Or more. You can't have that now, Ezra. It would never work._ The jedi chastised himself in frustration. One touch, one close moment was all it took and there he was pining after the most unavailable person in the galaxy.

"Hello?" K2 spoke bringing Ezra back to his surroundings. he looked towards the sound to see K2 beckoning him to follow.

"Right, uhh sorry" Ezra chastised himself again and apologized for his daydreaming, those days were gone. Now he had a mission. For the first time in months, he was confident and focused. Save the Wookiees, keep Sabine safe.

 _Should be simple enough._

* * *

"I now calculate our odds of survival at under three percent." Ezra shushed the droid, bowing his head as the main gate of the prison-like base opened, revealing two squads of very apprehensive stormtroopers. Behind them was an automated turret in the center of the courtyard that currently aimed directly at Ezra and K2. The sun had completely set now, the only light in the valley from the stars and moon, making perfect cover for Sabine and Cassian. If everything was going as planned, they should be about to scale the walls now that Ezra and K2 had drawn some attention to the front gate.

K2 pushed Ezra forward, the human stumbled slightly at the force of the push and almost fell over. Even for Ezra, it was difficult to balance when being pushed while your hands are in binders behind your back.

"What is this?" An imperial sergeant asked K2. Ezra now understood and appreciated why they had opted to keep the droids appearance as an Imperial, it made the droid perfect for infiltration.

"My unit was attacked by him and some other rebels. My memory banks and servos were damaged but I managed to capture this one." K2 answered in an emotionless voice that was almost entirely different from the one he normally used.

"What's your designation, droid?" The trooper asked.

"K2-S0. Unit 3K9-" K2's voice started to whir and warble as if he was damaged or losing power.

"Ugh this droid's damaged. LS-3679 and KG-3214 escort the prisoner to a cell, I'll send word to the commandant that we have a new prisoner." The sergeant stepped directly in front of Ezra, looking him up and down. Ezra couldn't see the troopers face but knew he was scowling in disgust. "He'll want to interrogate you himself, rebel scum." Ezra scowled back but remained silent as the two troopers pushed Ezra onward through the open gate and into the base.

 _Into the belly of the beast._

* * *

Sabine pulled Cassian up over the top of the wall onto the gangway on the inside of the wall. Getting close to the base and scaling the walls had been surprisingly easy. The base had been designed to keep people in not out and evidently the Empire was arrogant enough to not expect anybody to attack a prison base. Sabine also toyed with the idea of them just being crazy to attack an imperial base but she believed the empire's arrogance outweighed her crazy.

"Come on, the patrol will be coming back soon." Cassian reminded Sabine in a whisper as he crouched low, his sniper rifle shouldered and ready as he scanned their surroundings.

"Right, here." Sabine pulled out a small explosive device the size of her palm and handed it to Cassian. "This will take down their comms tower without a problem, I recommend getting some safe distance before you blow it."

The two quickly darted through the cover of darkness onto the roof of the vehicle bay and towards the comm tower.

"I'll be in the northeastern tower, I'll take out any officers I can spot. We need to confuse them if we have any chance of succeeding." Cassian whispered.

"Copy that." Sabine answered in acknowledgement. Cassian slipped off of the roof into an alley below and disappeared into the shadows. Sabine rolled away from the bright light of a spotlight turning to the front gate of the prison. Peeking over the roof, Sabine spotted a group of troopers surrounding Ezra and that damn droid as they were escorted through the front gate. The droid split off from the group and headed elsewhere while two troopers escorted Ezra towards what Sabine could only assume was the prison block.

Her chest tightened in anxiety and worry as he was pushed out of sight into the building. Sabine shook her head and let out a shaky breath. She stood up and started to go about her task. The AA guns and vehicle bay had to go. She snuck off of the roof and through the main entrance of the vehicle bay behind two unaware troopers on guard.

 _Ezra will be fine, Sabine. Get him out of your head._ She reassured herself she was just worried about him because he had been through so much lately. That the poor boy just shouldn't have to experience any more tragedy. In truth though, he wasn't that selfish and unknowing boy anymore. Their time on Kashyyyk so far had proven just that. He had become almost completely selfless and entirely courageous and Sabine didn't want to lose that person he had become, even though she knew that she owed him an explanation.

She dreaded that conversation. Ezra was too good for her and every selfless moment he had so far was a twist of the knife urging her to never tell him about her past, about who she really was.

The sound of two engineers walking caused Sabine to dive into cover as soon as they came around the corner. She let out a few choice curse words silently. That was close.

 _Focus._ _Get out of this first, worry about Ezra later._ Sabine reprimanded herself and wondered why this was so difficult. She was a Mandalorian after all and a Wren nonetheless. She was raised for war, not for whatever her conflict was with Ezra.

 _Alright. You're a Wren._ Sabine reminded herself in encouragement. She took another deep breath hoping to relieve the tightness in her chest to no luck. She was still worried about Ezra. For all she knew they could already be interrogating him but if that was the case, she decided it was all the more reason to work faster. She was very familiar with Imperial interrogation tactics, it always involved torture and never involved the law.

Sabine stood from her cover once the engineers had moved on. Looking at the amount of opportunities she had, Sabine allowed a smirk under her helmet. Two tanks, six AT-ST Walkers, and six armored transports all painted in their uniquely drab and boring Imperial gray. Suffice to say, the explosive artist had some ideas on how to liven the vehicle bay up a bit.

 _Time to get to work._

* * *

"Ow!" Ezra feigned complaint as the trooper tried his best to painfully tighten the restraints holding Ezra's hands down to the table he was sat at. "At least buy me a drink first!" Ezra smirked mischievously as the trooper's hands quickly shot back to his sides. He was alone in the barren interrogation room with the one trooper while the other stood guard outside waiting for the commandant no doubt.

"Hey," Ezra looked up at the trooper who was now stoically staring into nothingness no doubt trying to ignore Ezra's last comment. "Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?"

That got his attention. Ezra's smirk widened as the imperial bent down and smacked Ezra upside the head. "Shut up, scum!"

Ezra shook off the daze from the hit quickly and opened his mouth to antagonize the trooper some more, but he was cut short by the door to the room sliding open. A tall slender man dressed in the slate gray imperial officer uniform stepped through the door. An agonizing pretentious look on his face as he looked upon the contents of the interrogation room as if he owned it all. Ezra always wondered if all imperial officers were just born of high families and their upbringing was a result of their horrid attitude or if it was just the way they were trained by the empire.

 _Either way. They're still supporters of the Empire._ Ezra pushed his curiosity back as the officer sat across from him and folded his hands neatly in front of him.

"Who are you?" Ezra asked spitefully getting a satisfying sneer from the commandant.

"You will speak when spoken to." Ezra winced at the man's shrill sophisticated voice. Ezra held his restrained hands up defensively with a feigned apologetic look on his face.

"Who are you?" The commandant asked again in the shrill voice.

"Jabba the Hutt." Ezra answered with a roll of his eyes.

"You look a bit skinny for a Hutt."

"I've been on a diet." Ezra answered sardonically. He glanced up at the stormtrooper who was still standing at attention and staring at the wall. "Can you believe this guy?" Ezra asked pointing a thumb at the now seething officer across from him. Ezra could see the red in his cheek, this man clearly assumed the outfit would get him respect from Ezra. He assumed wrong.

Making the officer mad wasn't part of the plan, Ezra was just trying to entertain himself while he counted down the time in his head.

"Why did you attack our troopers?" The commandant asked, his annoying but collected voice starting to break with impatience.

 _Time's almost up._

"I had to get here." Ezra shrugged his shoulders.

"You what?" The officer's eyes nearly popped out of his head realizing full well that he might be dealing with a lunatic. He was too conceited to believe anything else.

"Yeah." Ezra explained casually. "Had to get arrested and brought here."

"I see." The commandant raised his eyebrows clearly convinced he was just dealing with a crazy person. "Before I bring in the interrogation droid because you are clearly not taking this seriously, is there anything else I should know?"

 _Oh you have no idea._ Ezra chuckled to himself. At that point he figured he could have a little more fun before the action started.

"Yes. I am actually going to take this place over." Ezra answered the question sheepishly.

"I see." The commandant chuckled and looked up at the trooper who shrugged then back at Ezra. "And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" He asked gesturing at Ezra's hands that were restrained to the table he sat at.

 _Twenty seconds._

"Well I wasn't going to tell you but since you asked so nicely." Ezra began to explain as the commandant interlaced his fingers on his folded hands. "I am going to destroy your comms array first so you can't call for help. Then I'm going to blow up your vehicle bay and anti air guns. After that, I'm going to free the Wookiee prisoners you have here and incite a prison riot which should be simple enough." Ezra watched the commandants face quickly turn to fear then back to his typically pretentious overconfidence.

"Interesting." The officer remarked. "And how do you plan on getting out of those restraints?"

Ezra quirked an eyebrow and looked down at the restraints a flash of amusement in his eyes. Flexing his left arm he pulled his hand up feeling only slight resistance as the metal restraint holding his cybernetic hand down groaned and gave way freeing his hand.

Turning, Ezra stood and raised his open palm at the trooper next to him, focusing on the trooper he quickly threw him into the wall knocking the trooper out. A warning in the force made Ezra sweep his open hand back across towards the officer to grab the man's pistol and push it aside right before it fired, barely missing Ezra's head.

Ezra ripped the pistol from the man's much weaker hand with a confident smirk. He shot the second restraint, grimacing at the heat that burned his wrist from the bolt as he freed his second hand.

"Oh yeah I forgot to say I'm a jedi." The officer backed towards the wall as Ezra rounded the table. Shakily the man raised his finger to his ear but his eyes widened in fear as the telltale sound of an explosion shook the room. "Sorry, comms are out." Ezra simply walked by the officer. The force user had other plans for the commandant. A second explosion fired, shaking the room even more, that one was much bigger and closer. "And there's the vehicle bay and AA guns." Ezra picked up the troopers E-11 blaster and slung it over his shoulder. He opened the door revealing the trooper standing guard to be laying face down, K2 standing over him.

"Hello." The droid said.

"Hey K2." Ezra said as he closed the cell door behind him and shot the door panel, effectively locking it until it could be opened manually. The officer wasn't going anywhere until somebody checked that specific room.

"Which way to the Wookiees?" Ezra asked K2 who had been downloading the base schematics during Ezra's unfinished interrogation.

"This way." K2 started into a jog the heavy clanking of his feet echoing down the hallway. Ezra matched the droids pace at his side, keeping the officers pistol at the ready and the E-11 over his shoulder.

"How many guards are there?" Ezra asked as they ran through yet another empty hallway. K2 stopped at a junction holding out a warning hand to Ezra who stopped as well. K2 peaked his head around the corner and checked both ways before beckoning Ezra to follow him across towards a door with a security panel next to it.

"We will see once we get into the control room for the cell block. Likely very few though. I estimate that most of them went to investigate Cassian's and the girl's distraction."

"Her name is Sabine." Ezra explained as K2 extended his arm towards the security panel and interfaced with it.

"I know." K2 answered causing Ezra to roll his eyes.

"Be ready." K2 explained. The door slid open revealing a security guard sitting behind a bank of monitors. In front of them was a wall of windows overlooking a three tiered cell block.

"What the-" The security guard yelled at the sight of Ezra. The security guard fired, Ezra turned his shoulder dodging the bolt then fired back with his pistol hitting the security guard in the center of the chest and dropping him.

"Well done. I will work on opening the cells." K2 explained as he and Ezra walked into the control room. Beyond the wall of windows was the cell block. Ezra let out a gasp as he almost visibly winced in pain at the sight. Hundreds upon hundreds of cells in three different levels, every single one had an active energy field humming with blue electricity. Every cell was full, Ezra could feel all of them and the ones he could see weren't reassuring. Directly across from him his heart skipped a beat as he recognized one of the Wookiees. The chieftain's brother.

 _He survived._ Ezra's eyes widened with hope. The Wookiee resistance lost any chance of survival without a leader. Now they had one again.

"I'm going in to talk to the Chieftains brother." Ezra turned and ran out of the room, down the hall, and towards the door that led to the cell block. The door slid open as he approached only adding to the horror Ezra had seen from the control room. The screams, the howls of fear, anger, and pain echoed throughout the tall narrow room adding to Ezra's beating heart as he raced down the catwalk towards the cell of the chieftain's brother.

Sliding to a stop, Ezra took in a deep breath and let it out to center himself as the familiar Wookiee stood up and walked towards Ezra, nothing but a barrier between the two.

Ezra jumped back as the Wookiee howled and lashed out toward him, pounding his hands on the energy field as if he was trying to bludgeon his way through it. " _You betrayed us! I knew you were spies!"_

"What?!" Ezra's heart raced with panic. This wasn't part of the plan. "No! We're here to rescue you!" The Wookiee slowed his assault on the barrier, resting his arms on it now as he breathed heavily. Ezra gulped loudly as the Wookiee's fiery eyes looked down on him. Ezra recognized those eyes, they were the eyes of somebody ready to kill, to take pleasure in revenge. He had seen it in himself, this was the first time he had seen it directed at him, and it wasn't even justified.

" _Then why are me and my people all still locked up?"_ The Wookiee asked flatly, his voice deep with pain.

"The barriers will all be opened up any second now. We're working on it." Ezra took a step back towards the barrier slowly, he could feel the Wookiee's fear. He reached out and placed his hand on the barrier, he closed his eyes and connected with the Wookiee through the force, doing his best to calm the frenzied creature. "You have to trust us. When these barriers open, we're going to get all of your people out of here." Ezra opened his eyes, making eye contact with the vengeful eyes of the Wookiee. "But you need to work with us."

The Wookiee remained silent, still eyeing Ezra angrily. Realizing he had never actually been introduced to the Wookiee, Ezra took it upon himself hoping it would help the Wookiee trust him.

"My name is Ezra Bridger. What's yours?" The Wookiee replied but Ezra didn't hear it. The force screamed out warning him something was coming too late. He turned only to see a giant metal fist coming down towards him.

The fist impacted with Ezra's face with a sickening crunch as it impacted his nose. Ezra grunted in pain, instantly being thrown on his back from the bunch. His vision quickly blurred and he felt a warm stream flow down his face accompanied by the smell of metal. Grimacing he shook his head and stood up to face his opponent.

"You are not authorized to be here." The giant metal security droid droned on in a single toned voice. Had it not been for the voice, Ezra would have assumed it was K2. Ezra pulled his blaster to his hand aimed and fired as the droid closed the distance. He got two shots off, both hitting the chest piece of the droid and burning on the armor like hot plasma but had little effect. The droid swung it's fist at Ezra again which he ducked under. Ezra rolled past the droid as it then promptly tried to stomp his head. The ground shook violently with a sharp clang as the foot narrowly missed Ezra's head and impacted on the metal floor.

The droid turned and swung it's fist down towards the still crouched Ezra. Bringing his left hand up Ezra caught and stopped the droid fist with his own. Ezra's eyes widened in shock at his reflexes and his arm's strength. The droid hesitated, clearly trying to calculate how that was possible. Before the droid could recover, Ezra capitalized on it's surprise and pushed an open palm of his other hand towards the droid's still red hot chest throwing the giant droid back a few meters onto its back with a deafening clang of metal on metal.

Ezra stood and pulled up his blaster, firing three more times as the droid recovered and charged him once more. The first shot hit the shoulder joint causing its left arm to go limp while the second shot hit the chest armor again and the third hit in the mid section impacting with the servos much to Ezra's satisfaction. The droid stumbled and faltered in its charge but still managed to lunge out with its good arm slapping Ezra's pistol aside as he hissed in pain. His protest was immediately cut short by cold fingers grasping his throat and squeezing. Ezra gasped and squirmed in agony as the droid lifted his feet off of the ground effortlessly.

Ezra's vision began to fade as he desperately attempted to pry the droids fingers off of his neck. He wasn't strong enough.

 _My arm!_ A burst of energy and determination lit Ezra's eyes as he brought his left arm up and slammed a fist down onto the droid's elbow joint. The joint shook but didn't give. Ezra hit it again, this time harder, his own mechanical fist protesting in simulated pain.

This time the joint gave in allowing Ezra to fall to the floor. As he gasped for air, Ezra heard the familiar noise of something powering down, then the bone chilling noise of a Wookiee war cry. Looking up, Ezra was surprised to see more than just the droid. Instead he saw the chieftain's brother grappling with Ezra's opponent. The entire cell block echoed with similar war cries as every cell opened, their inhabitants immediately taking the opportunity to leave, and hopefully fight.

The chieftain's brother let out a howl of pain as the droid pressed his hand into an open wound in the Wookiee's shoulder. Ezra winced in sympathetic pain as he shook himself out of his stupor. Coming to his knees Ezra punched the back of the droid's knee joint with his left arm. The droid buckled under the force as the joint gave way. The Wookiee took advantage of having the upper hand. He grabbed the droid by the neck with both hands, lifted it up and swung the entire body over Ezra's head and into the wall behind it.

Before the droid could even begin to recover, the wookiee was on him again. Ezra's jaw dropped in a mix of shock and fear as the Wookiee grabbed the arm of the droid Ezra had previously disabled. He placed a foot on the protesting droids chest and pulled at the arm, the metal groaned and electricity sparked out from the shorted out wires as the arm was ripped from its socket. With another war cry the Wookiee brought the arm over it's head and slammed it down on the droids head repeatedly. On the third hit the droid finally went limp, the servos powering down with a satisfying whirring noise.

Ezra got to his feet as the hall filled with other Wookiees all rushing towards their leader. The Wookiee heaved his chest as he looked at Ezra who shifted in uncertainty. The Wookiee reached out a hand much to Ezra's surprise.

" _My name is Tresh."_ He said. " _And my people owe you a great debt for saving us."_

Ezra stood dumbfounded and surprised by how quickly the tables had turned. "Ezra Bridger." He finally said extending his own hand to shake the Wookiees. "And don't thank me until we're out of this place." Ezra took the E-11 blaster from his back and handed it to Tresh who handed the droids arm to another Wookiee next to him. Ezra had no doubt that the Wookiee would use it just the same as Tresh had.

" _Do you have a plan?"_ Tresh asked.

"Uhh yeah," Ezra replied sheepishly. "But you're not going to like it." Ezra bit his lip nervously as Tresh looked down at him. Whether he was angry or just waiting for Ezra to explain he couldn't tell. "We need to get you and all your people on the transport ships to get out of here." He explained knowing full well that the natives wouldn't like the idea of escaping on slave ships.

The hall erupted with threatening howls of protest while Tresh remained silent. Ezra took a step back from the group cautiously. Tresh raised a fist high above his head, the hall fell silent as he walked to the edge of the catwalk so that those on the floors below could see as well.

" _We will follow the outsiders. They have come this far for us. We will follow them the rest of the way."_ Tresh spoke confidently.

Tresh turned and faced Ezra. " _Lead the way, Jedi."_

* * *

" _I'm pinned down!"_ Sabine heard Cassian say over the comm.

"I'm on it!" Sabine replied. She had moved back into the vehicle bay and had been drawing squads into the flaming structure. The many burning wrecks forced the squads to split up, making their numbers practically useless against the Mandalorians superior training.

Currently she was huddled behind a small propulsion engine, waiting for the three remaining troopers of the second squad sent after her. She peeked her head around the corner of the engine revealing three troopers, guns raised, moving single file through the smoke and fire. They were between her and the exit to the vehicle bay.

 _Come on, just keep walking._

" _Anytime now."_ Cassian voiced over the comm impatiently. His voice was accompanied by the noise of heavy blaster fire impacting very close to him.

"Ugh, alright alright." Sabine replied with a heavy sigh. Preparing herself to move, the Mandalorian readied her pistols. The troopers were still in her way.

 _Time to run and gun._

In one smooth movement Sabine turned around her cover started running and fired. The lead trooper fell instantly. The second trooper fell to a knee from a shot to the leg and the third who was the furthest from Sabine returned fire. He missed, badly. Sabine didn't give the poor shot a second chance.

Acting quickly to dodge the second shot, Sabine ducked and rolled over the back of the wounded trooper bringing her within kicking range of the trooper.

"Sorry! Gotta run!" With the back of her left hand she swept aside the troopers gun. Simultaneously she raised her right hand blaster still in hand and jammed the barrel into his neck. The trooper grasped at his windpipe, Sabine dealt the finishing blow and brought the handle of her pistol down on the temple of the troopers helmet. The soldiers hands instantly fell limp from his throat as he fell to the floor unconscious.

Remembering the third trooper at the noise of groaning and shuffling, Sabine quickly spun on her heel and roundhouse kicked the last one directly in the head knocking him to the ground.

"Alright." Sabine spoke into the comm as she came to the edge of the hangar bay, the courtyard was alive in mayhem. Soldiers and guards scrambling to figure out what was going on. At least half of them were running towards the cell blocks. The main turret emplacement in the center of the yard was fortified. Two soldiers taking cover behind the massive weapon while another manned it. All of them were firing at the guard tower where Cassian was.

" _Can you draw fire from that turret emplacement?"_ Cassian asked over the din of gunfire and flames.

"Oh I can do so much better than that." Sabine grinned. The base was already in mayhem, nobody was in charge anymore. Half of the soldiers were firing on Cassian, the other half going for whatever was happening in the cell blocks. None of them remembered the two squads that never returned from the vehicle bay.

" _Well whatever it is, do it fast! They're coming up the tower now!"_

Sabine spotted four troopers moving through the door into the tower. Now was her chance. She sprinted across the yard towards the raised turret emplacement and vaulted up onto the platform with ease.

"Hey, boys!" Sabine waved raising her pistols at the two troopers and firing point blank. The two bodies crumpled and fell off of the platform. The soldier manning the turret was so occupied he didn't even notice his comrades falling. Sabine holstered her pistols and shook her head.

She grabbed the troopers helmet, lifted it off and threw it.

"What the-" The troopers eyes went wide.

"Mind if I try?" Sabine punched the trooper square in the side of the head. He instantly fell limp his head lolling to the side.

"Thanks!" She said pushing his body out of the seat and putting herself in it. She quickly went to work re-aiming the turret. She was all too familiar with the controls of every piece of Imperial machinery. With expert precision she cranked the turret around and opened fire on the guard tower opposite Cassian. With a simple squeeze of the trigger, the turret fired with a mighty staccato of force instantly obliterating the two guards at the top of the structure. She couldn't help but feel joy at killing the soldiers. They were complacent in everything she had seen since arriving to that planet, they deserved to die in her mind. Sabine frowned at her sudden turn of emotion. She knew how hard it was just for her to see how wrong the Empire was and then to actually abandon it, it wasn't fair to judge them or to hate the soldiers, but she did.

"Sabine!" She gasped as a heavy hand grabbed her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see Ezra standing over her. His electric blue eyes wild with the fervor of battle. The courtyard was now filled with Wookiees, all firing back at the scrambling troopers, pushing them back into cover and forcing them to retreat.

"I'm fine." Sabine explained shakily as Ezra practically pulled her out of the turret seat. Ezra reached out grabbing her waist. Sabines chest tightened at the touch. Her breath hitched, she looked into his eyes only to see him staring at her waist. Then he pulled his hand away lightsaber in hand.

 _Oh._ Sabine looked down at where the saber had been clipped to her belt. She cursed at herself silently. _Stop being an idiot, this isn't the time._

"Lets go." Ezra said calmly, Sabine could tell he was still concerned. She would hear about this later no doubt.

Ezra jumped off of the platform and activated his saber. Sabine followed suit landing beside the jedi. The two took off into a run in the same direction as the Wookiees. K2 and Cassian quickly joined them before they made it to the large hangar that led to the landing pads.

"Tresh!" Ezra yelled at a Wookiee Sabine recognized from the rebel encampment. The chieftain's brother if she wasn't mistaken.

"Get everybody aboard those two ships!" Cassian pointed at the two transport ships on the left. "We need to go before they reorganize and come after us!" Cassian said. Tresh nodded in response and ran ahead towards the landing pads. Sabine could hear him barking orders at his followers the entire time.

The hangar erupted with blaster fire. Multiple Wookiees in front of Sabine instantly fell, hit by blaster bolts from behind. Accompanying the blaster bolts was the telltale noise of a lightsaber activating, then Ezra wasn't next to her anymore.

Sabine turned to see Ezra behind her. The young jedi had immediately stepped in between her and an approaching force of Imperials. Sabine tried not to stare in awe at the sight. His sword was nothing a green blur as he spinned into and away from each shot deflecting every single one. The green blur and respective hilt spinning in his hand like a baton as he sent multiple shots back to their senders.

"Go!" Ezra yelled. "I'll hold them off!" Sabine pulled out her rifle and ducked behind a grav lift before returning fire. She noticed Cassian and K2 had already followed Ezra's orders. The droid and captain taking a staggered retreat towards the ships.

"Sabine!" Sabine looked up at Ezra next to her. "Go!" He yelled again, his brow furrowed and a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead.

"I'm not leaving you behind!" Sabine fired at and dispatched trooper trying to flank Ezra's left. Ezra groaned in frustration, barely heard over the din of gunfire and explosions.

"Fine!" Ezra yelled, taking a step back and ducking under three shots aimed directly at his head. He took the dodge in stride and rolled back into the same cover as Sabine. The Mandalorian promptly lobbed a thermal detonator over their cover to give them a moment's respite. The explosive immediately detonated with a deafening boom. Some of the blaster fire stopped as multiple troopers screamed out in pain.

Ezra stared daggers at her, a thin sheen of sweat on his skin. Sabine stood her ground, she wasn't leaving him behind. Ezra had sacrificed enough, she wasn't going to chance him losing anymore.

"Stay behind me! I'll deflect your fire, cover my flanks, place explosives as we go in case things get bad, steady retreat in five." Ezra said causing Sabine to tilt her head in a combination of shock and confusion.

 _When did Ezra become a tactician?_ The last mission she had been with him on consisted mostly of Ezra asking Kanan what to do, this time he was the one giving orders.

"What?" Ezra asked innocently. Sabine blushed noticing just how impressed she was. She couldn't tell him that though.

"Nothing. I'm ready." Sabine placed another thermal detonator at her feet and set it to remote detonation.

"Okay." Ezra took a deep breath, held it, then let it out. "Now!" The two stood in unison, Ezra stepping forward to deflect onslaught of fire from the quickly approaching enemy. Sabine promptly opened fire at anybody trying to outflank Ezra.

Her anxiety slid away with each shot she fired. The rhythmic kick the rifle soothed her mind. She only saw Imperials this time, and the screams were their own. The long haunting memory of that night once again repressed and forgotten.

Ezra followed Sabine's steps back without speaking a word. The two moved like two parts of one machine. Falling back to each cover, Ezra blocking every shot with ease and Sabine thinning the herd of soldiers firing at him to make up for his increasing exhaustion. Sabine could see his chest heaving. The sweat on his brow increasing and the determined look on his face slowly turning to desperate.

They made it through to the edge of the hangar to the landing pad. The first ship had already taken off while the second was waiting for them.

 _Almost there._ Sabine reassured herself. Ezra was pushing himself to the limit. She wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on. The hangar once again filled up with soldiers pressing their assault. Luckily Sabine had just the trick to deal with that problem.

"Blow it!" Ezra yelled.

"Gladly!" Sabine brought up the control panel on her wrist and firmly pressed the detonator trigger. Her satisfaction faded, instantly turning to dread as she recognized a large stack of cylindrical containers mid-way through the hangar. Fuel canisters. Highly volatile Rhydonium to be precise.

"Karabast." She muttered softly, her thumb still on the trigger.

The thermal detonators exploded with a colorful boom, streaks of lavender, crimson, and orange in the flames and concussive blast that sent the hangar into smoke filled mayhem. Dozens of troopers flew across the hangar along with their cover from the concussive force. Others desperately ran for safety, some succeeding, most failing.

Ezra raised both hands in front of him, open palms extended toward the explosion. Sabine saw hundreds of pieces of shrapnel fly towards them and instantly stop in front of Ezra. Unfortunately, the secondary explosion wasn't far behind, this one was much bigger. The air crackled with a boom and raging fire erupted from the colorful smoke followed by dead silence. Sabine's eyes widened in fear. She had seen enough explosions to know what was coming next.

The shockwave.

"Ezra, move!" Sabine grabbed Ezra by the shoulders trying to push him aside. She was too late. The shockwave hit them with a deafening roar of heat and power. The pure force of the wave hit Sabine in the stomach like a freighter. Her feet were lifted off of the metal flooring as if she was weightless.

Everything happened in an instant. Sabine only caught glimpses all in the brief moments. Ezra, facedown on the landing pad, the ship, trees, the edge of the landing pad, and then finally the ground, only about fifteen meters below her and closing.

* * *

 **Authors Note: Sorry about the cliffhanger everybody! As always review and PM! Thanks for reading and for those of you who are Ezrabine fans such as myself, you will want to read the next two chapters. =)**


	8. Trust, Don't Verify

**Hey everybody! Sorry for being late on this chapter, my beta reader didn't get around to editing it but here it is! Hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 7: Trust, don't verify.

"Ezra, move!" Sabine grabbed Ezra by the shoulders trying to push him aside. She was too late. The shockwave hit them with a deafening roar of heat and power. The pure force of the wave hit Sabine in the stomach like a freighter. Her feet were lifted off of the metal flooring as if she was weightless.

Everything happened too quickly. Sabine only caught glimpses all in the brief moments. Ezra, facedown on the landing pad, the ship, trees, the edge of the landing pad, and then finally the ground, only about fifteen meters below her and closing fast.

Acting purely on instinct, Sabine swung her right shoulder behind her to face up. She raised her right hand toward the edge of the landing pad and fired. The grappling hook sprung from her gauntlet, spiraling towards its target.

It was a one in a million shot. Sabine closed her eyes and hoped for the best as she fell towards the ground. After a short moment her arm snapped up, she made the shot. She screamed in agony as her shoulder protested the sudden change in momentum. The grappling hook holding her arm in place while gravity pulled her body in the other direction. She felt a sudden shift in balance and opened her eyes. She was too late to brace herself for what was coming next. Sabine's body crashed into the wall full force knocking the wind out of her an alarming her to a sharp pain in her abdomen.

Her vision blurred from the pain threatening to knock her unconscious. Sabine took a few slow deep breaths to center herself and try and push back the pain. She had been through this before and knew what to do.

 _Just take deep breaths._ Sabine heard the familiar noise of a ship taking off followed by the shadow of the second transport ship taking off above her. Sabine raised her hand to talk into her comm device and let her companions know she was alright only to see the interface on her left gauntlet was crushed.

"Okay, stranded, no comms," Sabine grunted as she spun to have her back against the wall. Her shoulder popped as she did so. "Dislocated shoulder." She whispered to herself over the pain. "Can't get any worse than this." She reassured herself as she looked below, she was roughly five meters above the ground. A survivable drop, but she didn't plan on going down. She looked back above her to the edge of the landing pad. The last she had seen of Ezra he was laying face down on the floor.

 _Gotta check to see if Ezra made it onto the ship._

She groaned as another spike of pain shot through her abdomen and up her spine. Taking more rapid breaths she finally looked down to investigate. Her spirits fell at the dire image of what she saw. A two inch wide piece of shrapnel on the right side of her abdomen right below her chest armor. The shrapnel looked like some type of rod, about six inches long, below it she felt a stream of warm fluid flowing down her stomach and her legs.

"Great and I'm bleeding out." She muttered and turned again to plant her feet on the wall. "Now it definitely can't get any worse." Something cracked in her gauntlet containing the grappling hook. Sabines eyes widened and her heart stopped. The cable gave way causing her to fall a couple of inches at first, then it completely snapped. The casing holding the end of the cable tore out of her gauntlet.

She fumbled for the end of the cable with her other hand but fell short. The air rushed by Sabine as she fell and landed back first on the soft ground. For the second time in only ten seconds the wind was knocked out of her.

Sabine took a deep breath and glared up at the dangling cable above her hoping that Ezra's luck was better than hers. There was no way to know for sure. She did know one thing at that moment. She was wounded and bleeding out, and Imperial reinforcements would be on their way soon.

 _Can't help Ezra if you're dead._

Rolling to her side and clutching her abdomen as she stood. Silently she thanked her armor and helmet for absorbing most of the shock from the fall. Limping away from the base and towards the edge of the valley, Sabine looked back at the landing pad as Imperial ships came into view in the distance.

 _Please be alright, Ezra._ Sabine prayed to whatever higher power there worry only worsened with her pain and hastily weakening state as she slowly made her way to the cover of the forest.

* * *

" _Bridger, do you copy?"_

Ezra moaned, his head ached and every muscle in his body felt like it was on fire. Whoever was yelling in his ear certainly wasn't helping.

" _I think he may be dead."_ Another more mechanical voice said. Ezra opened his eyes slowly to reveal his surroundings. Right in front of his face was his commlink. His cheek was pressed against the cold metal of the landing pad, the other side of his face and his eye stung with pain, he could feel and see blood dripping along the bridge of his nose. He reached up to his face and hissed in pain as his fingers grazed a new deep cut that trailed from above his eye and straight down. The voices he recognized as Cassian and K2, speaking in his earpiece over the comms.

He heard footsteps. Ezra cursed silently, as he got to his feet to see five soldiers running up and surrounding him, their armor was covered in ash and scorch marks, their blasters shaking as they aimed at Ezra. They closed in slowly as Ezra set his commlink to leave it open and clipped it onto his belt.

"I'm alive." Bridger said over the comms, raising his hands above his head, lightsaber still in hand, and hopefully still functioning, he wouldn't really know until he tried to activate it.

" _We had to take off. Reinforcements arrived."_ Cassian explained. Ezra looked up to see five Imperial ships accompanied by about ten TIE fighters. Three of the ships were ATR-6 Assault Transports and two were light frigates. It was more than enough to easily take out the lightly armed transport ships especially when only crewed by one person each.

"Where's Sabine?" Ezra asked realizing that the last he saw of her was before the blast when she tried pushing him aside. She wasn't anywhere on the landing pad. His heart rate spiked as neither Cassian nor K2 replied immediately.

" _We thought she was with you."_ Cassian finally answered sending Ezra into a panic. Ezras eyes darted across the platform in search of his friend. She was nowhere to be seen. The soldiers stepped toward Ezra prompting him to take a step back towards the edge of the pad. The electric fences weren't activated allowing anything to go off the edge.

Ezra's heel pressed down on something sticking out from the otherwise flat metal. He lifted his foot and looked at it. He closed his eyes and thanked the force, a slight smile crossing his lips. It was a Mandalorian grappling hook attached to a high tensile cable.

"Turn around, Rebel! We've got you!" One of the closing stormtroopers commanded as they formed a semicircle around Ezra. Ezra complied and faced outward. He peeked his head over the edge, the smile sliding from his face instantly. She wasn't there, there was nothing at the end of the cable.

 _Where is she?!_ Ezra panicked, he reached out in the force trying to find her. He clenched his jaw in frustration, reaching out further he still couldn't find her. There was nothing but dull soldier's, fear, and anger. The anger felt different though, before it felt alien. Now though, it was the same as his anger, his anger for the Empire, for what they had done to the Wookiees.

"Put the weapon down!" The same trooper ordered. Ezra scowled, a part of his mind just wanting to kill that trooper so he could focus. He had to find her. One of the assault craft flew by overhead towards the edge of the valley while the others circled around to prepare to land.

Ezra reached out further this time, throwing all of his emotion behind his effort. His mind travelled across the valley towards the woods. If she fell then she would have gone for cover in the forest. His mind stopped as he felt something unique just at the edge of the valley, it was familiar and warm.

 _Sabine!_ Ezra instantly recognized her familiar signature except it was different this time. It was usually brighter than anything else but now the color had mostly faded and continued to do so.

 _She's hurt._ Ezra panicked as he opened his eyes to look where she was, as soon as he did the assault vehicle at the edge of the woods turned on a spotlight illuminating the distant Mandalorian in washed out light. Her small form was hunched over and limp. Even from a distance Ezra could see she was wounded as she darted into the cover of the trees and foliage with a limp.

"I said!" The same soldier yelled. Ezra felt a hand reach for his saber. In an instant he felt a calm sense of focus overcome him. He had to get to Sabine, she was hurt and being chased, these soldiers were in the way. Ezra turned to face the talking trooper activating his saber as he sliced down "Put the weapon dow- Ahhh!" The trooper screamed in pain clutching what was now only half of an arm, severed by Ezra's saber at the elbow.

Right after the slice, Ezra rolled between two of the soldiers slashing at one's legs mid roll then the others midsection as he came out of the roll onto his knees. Both collapsed on each side of him. The force called out in warning, Ezra turned and blocked two incoming shots from the remaining troopers. One shot deflected right back into one of the soldiers taking him out.

The last trooper kept firing, Ezra easily blocked the torrent of shots on instinct, stepping forward as he did so. He could feel the soldier panicking with each step forward. Ezra took on a grim look, his face stoic and his eyes wild with anger and concern for his friend. With one final step, Ezra slashed up cutting clean through the blaster disabling it. The trooper raised his hands defensively as if to surrender, Ezra replied with an open palm throwing the soldier across the landing pad and into the side of the wall next to the hangar. The soldier instantly fell limp to the floor.

"Hey!" Another stormtrooper called out having just unloaded from the assault craft. "Stop right there!"

"Sorry, gotta go!" Ezra yelled, he turned to the edge of the landing pad and jumped.

* * *

Sabines heart rammed against her chest. It's heavy rhythm beating in her ears like a drum and drowning out every other noise save her strained breathing. Having just successfully reduced her dislocated shoulder she now felt a massive amount of relief in all of the pain she was experiencing. She carefully placed her now partially mobile hand on her wound, she knew it didn't help stop the bleeding but it would at least make the blood trail harder to follow.

She limped through the dense undergrowth of the forest as fast as her numb legs would take her. The wounded Mandalorian looked behind her, cursing in frustration as another drop of sweat fell in her eye. She didn't dare take off her helmet to wipe away the sweat, the night vision on the visor was the only advantage she had over her pursuers. Her heartbeat slowed as she paused to look for the soldiers chasing her.

"Their tracks go this way!" She heard a muffled voice call over the distance followed by the telltale sound of boots on soil closing in.

"Just my luck," Sabine said sarcastically, wincing at how much it hurt just to talk.

 _Now that I'm wounded and on death's door. The Empire finally sends somewhat intelligent soldiers after me._ A weak smirk came across her thin cracked lips as she realized how much she sounded like Ezra. The old Ezra, the Ezra that was always hopeful and could find something humorous to say even when facing imminent death. Another thing she missed about him.

Sabine shook herself out of her revery, that boy was gone now. The man he had become needed her help. She had been running for an hour now, trying to get the Empire off of her trail so she could backtrack to the base to find him. If he hadn't found her by now, then the Empire had him.

 _Unless he left on the ship._ Sabine remarked.

 _He wouldn't do that though._

 _Would he?_ She pushed the last thought back telling herself she was wrong. No matter what happened to Ezra, Sabine knew he would never willingly leave anybody behind. Sabine had plans to do the same for him.

 _First I gotta ditch these guys. No way I can take them all on._

Clutching her stomach as another wave of pain rushed over her body, Sabine turned from her closing pursuers and began to move again.

Each breath and every step she took sent a shock of pain rippling from the shrapnel, the pain in her shoulder had since been forgotten in a combination of adrenaline and blood loss. Her hand and armor was slick with blood leaving a far too evident trail behind her. She pushed herself towards a thick root outcropping from the ground, it was at least waist height and would offer good cover.

After a few more steps, her shaky legs gave way. Sabine groaned in pain as she fell to her knees.

"Gotta...stop the bleeding." Sabine muttered to herself. "Patch myself up." She reached for her her medical supplies on her utility belt. Her bloody fingers fumbled in search, finding nothing.

 _Oh no._ She looked down at her belt to see the frayed loop and cantilever that were holding her medical supplies were snapped off. Dread overcame Sabine, realizing that it must have broken off between the fall and when she made it to the forest.

It didn't matter anyways, Sabine realized. They were too close now, she wouldn't have had time to patch herself up. She crawled up to the root of the tree, turned and pressed her back against the tree. She pulled out a pistol in her right hand, and pressed her left hand against her abdomen.

She propped her pistol on the root between her and the brush that she heard her pursuers coming through. They were close now. She could hear them and soon she knew she would see them. By the sound of it there were at least ten which was far more than she could handle.

 _Not like this._ Sabine remarked with an accepting tone of realization.

"Sorry, Ezra." She said to herself, her eyes tearing up as she spoke. "I'm not gonna make it." She choked back a painful sob and tried to ignore the irony of the situation. She volunteered to go to Kashyyyk to keep Ezra safe and to hopefully get him to come back.

 _Now I'm going to die alone. I never even got to tell Ezra why I did what I did. Why I always pushed him away._ Sabine cursed at herself for being so stupid.

 _I should have just told him how I felt, back then. Maybe none of this ever would have happened._ Sabine considered the options in her head as she waited for her trackers to find her.

 _Or maybe he would have just hated me as soon as I told him what I've done._ She said trying to reason with herself. She shook her head in self disgust, realizing that in the end it didn't matter. she hated unfinished business and she didn't want to die having her best friend think that she hated him or didn't trust him when in fact it was the complete opposite in both cases.

The soldiers were getting closer, she could see the thick leafy brush moving now. This was it.

"Come on." Sabine slurred weakly. Her heavy eyelids threatened to close as a white helmet came into sight. The helmet ducked down when Sabine fired, the laser going wide to the right and missing.

The night air quickly illuminated with laser fire as unseen soldiers returned fire. Sabine lowered her head behind the root for cover. Nearly a dozen shots hit the root, sizzling as they scorched the thick mossy bark.

Sabine returned the favor, firing blindly rapid fire over the root. She smirked slightly at the familiar noise of a bolt hitting a troopers armor. Heavy footsteps thudding on the damp soil alerted Sabine to another threat. She popped her head up out of cover and fired at a soldier trying to flank her. She fired three times at the running stormtrooper, the first two fell far behind him as she forgot to lead her target. Grimacing in pain and frustration, she adjusted her aim and fired, this time hitting the soldier directly in the chest. He stumbled and fell to the ground, groaning in pain. Sabine fired again, this time hitting him in the head and finishing him.

She ducked back into her cover as another volley of suppressing fire came down on her. The soldiers were out of the thicket now and steadily approaching step by step. Sabine let out a pained gasp as more blood gushed out of her wound. She gritted her teeth and pushed through the pain just wishing that the wound would go numb like her legs. A laser hit the top of the root sending splinters into the side of Sabines helmet and disorienting her, the loud blast making her ears rings.

"Screw it." She said scowling in anger. She pulled her hand away from her wound, letting the blood flow freely from around the shrapnel. Using her free hand she unholstered her second pistol and pushed herself onto her knees. She could barely hear, but she could see the firing on her position had mostly stopped.

 _Probably surrounding me._ She concluded, recalling her own imperial training. There was also waves of green illuminating the forest alongside the red blasts, Sabine shook her head and blinked telling herself she was just seeing things.

She closed her eyes for a brief moment in preparation for what was to come. She silently said goodbye to her family, and apologized for everything she had left unfinished. Sabine knew she was never a good Mandalorian given what she had done, but she wasn't afraid to die. She still had that aspect of her heritage at least. She only regretted everything she would be leaving unfinished. Ezra, her family, her home. So many problems that she hated herself for, she always told herself she would eventually fix it all, but now she knew there was no way that was happening.

" _Today is a good day to die."_ She whispered to herself in her native tongue, she could barely hear herself over the gunfire, ringing in her ears, and the screaming.

 _Wait, who is screaming._ Sabine asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.

The Mandalorian grunted in pain and stumbled to her feet, readying her pistols as she did. What she saw was the last thing she had expected. Ezra Bridger. The dark haired jedi stood among the group of soldiers, only four of them remaining.

Sabine stood in awe as Ezra grabbed a trooper by the throat with the force, pulled the gasping soldier toward him and used him as a human shield as the rest fired at him. Immediately after, he threw the squirming trooper at another soldier sending them tumbling into a heap of limbs and armor. Ezra instantly deflected the fire of the remaining two, sending the blaster fire throughout the forest in every direction. He deftly pulled his blaster to his open hand and returned fire from a distance. He hit one trooper in the neck sending him to the ground clutching at the open wound.

The final trooper, didn't stand a chance. Ezra charged, easily dodging each shot. Once we was a few feet away, Sabines eyes widened in amazement as he jumped toward the trooper, saber over his head in both hands and brought it down on the soldier's head, slicing him two. Ezra stood back to his full height as the two halves of his enemy fell to the ground. His shoulders and chest raising and lowering methodically as if he had been meditating the entire time rather than fighting. Ezra looked down on the mess of dead soldiers surrounding him, his eyes impossible to decipher until they finally turned to face Sabine. His electric blue eyes instantly filled with relief as they fell upon her.

Sabine smiled in return forgetting that her helmet was still on. The moment was cut short by another soldier, the one Ezra had thrown his comrade at. The soldier stood and began to run from the nearby jedi. Reacting on instinct and pure luck, Sabine aimed and fired before Ezra could react, somehow, despite the entire world spinning around Sabine the shot hit dead center in the soldiers back.

Ezra looked back at her, an incredulous look on his face. "Nice shot."

Sabine groaned and stumbled losing her balance as the world started to spin more, her head felt completely weightless as she collapsed back onto her knees. "I was aiming for his head." She said before falling onto her back into the mossy soil. Her vision went black then came back, blurry and disoriented.

Ezra's face came into view, the familiar blue eyes wide with concern and realization as he saw the long piece of shrapnel sticking out of Sabine's stomach.

"That bad?" Sabine asked, her head falling limp to her side. She heard Ezra take a deep breath before answering.

"It's not that bad." He choked out. "It's good you left it in. Probably stopped a lot of the bleeding."

"Yeah…" Sabine replied as her eyelids began to close. She felt Ezra's hands slide under her back and lift her off of the ground. She was too weak to protest to being carried. "That was totally my plan." She quipped, her weak voice dripping with sarcasm.

She felt a methodical sway slowly speeding up, her gut hurting with each step as Ezra moved into a jog. "We've got to get somewhere safe and patch you up." Ezra explained. "We're being hunted."

"What? We just killed them all-"

"Not by the stormtroopers…" Ezra interjected, Sabine felt him tense up as if he felt something warning him. "There's something else." As soon as he finished, a bloodcurdling roar echoed throughout the forest. The pure carnal rage of it sent shivers down Sabines spine, or maybe that was from the cold, she couldn't tell anymore.

All she could tell was that she had lost a lot of blood, and that Ezra was carrying her somewhere.

 _I guess now's my chance to talk to him._ Sabine said to herself thinking she would never have another chance, she knew her odds of making it out of this were still slim, Now she had the chance to at least resolve this unfinished business.

"Ezra…" Sabine spoke, opening her eyes to look up at him. His eyes were dead set ahead of him, the right side of his face was caked in dry blood from a cut from his forehead above his eye straight down to his cheek.

"Not now, Sabine." Ezra interrupted before she could continue. He looked down at her, a knowing look in his eyes as they made eye contact.

"But-"

"Not now!" Ezra raised his voice, his harsh eyes went soft again as they began to tear up. "Once we get somewhere safe, we can talk."

Sabine remained silent, too weak even to argue as Ezra carried her through the dark forest towards safety and away from whatever was hunting them.

* * *

Commandant Foray watched from the edge of the prisons landing pad as the mercenary he had been ordered to receive stepped off of his ship. Foray instantly recognized the Mandalorian Mercenary as Tiber Somna, more commonly known as 'The Hunter' among both the Imperials on Kashyyyk and their enemies. Tiber had a reputation for being the best hunter in the galaxy, a skill the Empire had been paying him handsomely for to hunt rebel Wookiees for the past year. He had filled every contract given to him so far. Foray doubted the prodigal Mandalorian would fail this one.

Foray readied himself, holding his hands behind his back and puffing his chest out as the fully armored soldier walked towards him. Tiber wore fully black heavy armor. His helmet completely flawless save three claw like gouges that went from above the visor all the way down to the bottom. He carried a simple sporting blaster rifle with a black bayonet fixed on the end of the barrel and two vibroblade handles were visible over his right shoulder, the swords sheathed on his back.

"It's good to finally meet you in person." Foray said as the soldier walked past to him and stood at the edge of the landing pad, looking out across the destroyed treeless valley.

"A Mandalorian and a Jedi." The soldier finally spoke after a moment's silence, his voice sounded gravelly and almost unrealistically deep.

"Uhh-" Foray stuttered unsure of how the hunter already knew that information, he hadn't disclosed that information when revealing that two of the prison breakers had escaped into the forest. "Yes. A Mandalorian and a boy with a lightsaber. How did you know." Foray finally relented.

The hunter simply pointed at the pile of dead stormtroopers further down the landing pad, dismembered and scored with long cuts that were clearly made by a super heated weapon. "Only a lightsaber can do that." Tiber growled, then he walked further down the ledge. Foray begrudgingly followed. Tiber knelt down and pulled a small metal hook that was plunged into the thick metal of the landing pad, it had a high tensile cable attached to it. "And this, is a Mandalorian grappling hook, beskar iron." He explained casually.

"Is hunting these two going to be a problem?" Foray asked ignorantly and with far too much confidence. He knew force users were strong and he didn't believe that Somna would be okay with hunting one of his own people.

The Mandalorian stood from his position and turned towards Foray. He pulled off his helmet revealing short cut hair with streaks of gray and a gaunt face with deep green eyes. Foray shifted uncomfortably as Tiber failed to break eye contact as he stepped within the Imperials personal space. The soldier looked down on him, his face turning into a sneer of disgust as if he could sense the Imperials fear and decided he wasn't worth it.

"I've hunted Jedi before. I've hunted Mandalorians before." Tiber finally said as he donned his helmet. "Hunting both at the same time will be fun."

* * *

Ezra sighed in relief when the spark ignited, giving light as the wood and dry leaves he had gathered caught fire. Once he was sure the fire was going to keep burning he turned back to Sabine just behind him and crawled to the other side of her to use the fire as a light. The two were in a small hut that Ezra had found, it was small and carved out of the root of the large wroshyr tree that it stood at the base of. Ezra couldn't quite explain why but he felt as if the safe haven had called out to him, it felt familiar, as if it were a distant memory before he had even seen it.

The hut was small, and looked like it used to consist of two rooms, the second of which was now overgrown with rubble and vegetation. The entrance was the only room left it was the same length in both directions, laying down Sabine nearly covered the length of the room.

Ezra reached out in the force to see if their pursuer was still outside. It was. He could feel the darkness, the carnal hunger, and more disturbingly, he could feel it's excitement in the hunt. He had never felt anything quite like it before. It was massive, brutish, and dark, but more importantly it was intelligent. Highly so, Ezra realized.

"Is it still out there?" Sabines weak voice called Ezra back to his own mind. He looked down at her as he answered.

"Yeah, whatever it is. It's too big to get us in here. We're safe for now." His heart ached as Sabines thin lips curled into a grimace and she shut her eyes as another wave of pain hit her. She clutched at where the shrapnel was gently.

"We've got to get that out." Ezra explained as he leaned over her and pulled her hand away from the wound. He opened up his bag and pulled out his medical supplies, mentally taking stock as he took off his jacket and started neatly laying the supplies down on it.

 _Bandages, Bacta gel, Bacta injector, Painkillers, Antisepsis field._ Ezra sighed as he took out the last of the supplies. It wasn't nearly enough. He felt a clammy hand drift over the back of his cybernetic hand.

"It's not good is it?" She asked. Ezra shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes. He was supposed to protect her, now she was laying on the ground bleeding out in front of his eyes. Ezra had never hated himself more, all that time wasted trying to move on, to forget how he felt about his family, about Sabine. Now all of those feelings, all of that love was rushing back into his mind and there was nothing he could do.

He felt a knot forming in his throat, afraid to show Sabine he was about to cry he simply shook his head in answer.

Sabine sighed, laying her head back on the dirt without a care for her hair. Her forehead shined brightly with sweat in the light of the orange fire.

"Can't pull it out." Sabine answered. "It's jagged on the inside, you're going to need to push it through." She finished, making eye contact with Ezra as she did so. She wasn't giving up, Ezra could see she still had that spark of determination in her eyes. It was the spark he had come to love, the look that said Sabine Wren never gives up. He had been inspired by that look countless times before and followed her into unfavorable odds every time.

"You can do this, Ezra." She encouraged him weakly, her hand squeezing his gently as she spoke.

"Okay." Ezra took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself. He evaluated the shrapnel carefully, pulling Sabine up by the shoulders to get a look at her back. The shrapnel was far enough through that he could see a part of her lower back being pushed out by the metal. The only problem was that both her bodysuit and thin layers of armor were covering the area.

"We're going to need to take off your armor, and your shirt." Ezra explained sheepishly, feeling his cheeks go red with embarrassment.

Ezra could tell Sabine instantly felt his discomfort. She smirked slightly, her lips pursed tightly as she pulled herself up, clearly enjoying still being able to make Ezra uncomfortable.

"It's alright." She calmed him. "I trust you, Ezra." She finished softly and deliberately. "You know that right?" She asked again this time, a hopeful look in her eyes.

Ezra remained silent for a moment. He could feel her sincerity and honesty, she truly meant what she said. She had meant it when they were on their way to Kashyyyk as well, Ezra realized how arrogant he was being. He just didn't want to believe her because it made it easier for him to run away when really he knew the truth all along.

"I know." He replied softly. Sabine nodded in acknowledgement, a content look on her face as her eyes fluttered.

"Good." The two got to work removing her chest armor and pauldrons, careful not to agitate the shrapnel anymore. Once the armor was off, all that remained was the long sleeve black shirt that was lined with thick leather like armor.

Sabine caught Ezras attention with another light smirk, her head dipping down as she chuckled.

"What?" Ezra asked curiously.

"All that flirting with me when we first met and this is how you end up getting me to take my clothes off." Ezra tried not to smile at the irony of the situation. "Sorry your first time seeing a woman topless won't be fun." Sabine teased as Ezra pulled the blood soaked shirt over the shrapnel so it could be taken off. She tilted her head in bemusement, a thin smirk crossing her face that was telling of pain just as much as it was entertainment. "And sorry that you see a woman topless before ever even kissing anybody."

"I've kissed a woman before, Sabine." Ezra sighed and shook his head, an important but distant memory called him back to simpler times. If you could call living as an orphan and a pickpocket simple. He failed to notice Sabine pause, her labored breathing pausing just for a moment.

"What? Who?" Sabine asked. Ezra adoringly watched as she visibly racked her brain trying to think of who it could possibly be.

"You didn't know her. We were together before you and the crew picked me up." He finally explained deciding now wasn't the time and that it really didn't matter anymore. Ezra wanted to forget that memory, it wasn't a bad one, which is why it hurt all the more to remember it.

"You never mentioned her." Sabine said.

"You never asked." Ezra shrugged and tried to ignore the hurt look in Sabines eyes. "It doesn't matter, it's in the past. This is now, so let's take care of you before you lose any more blood."

Sabine nodded after a moment silently agreeing with Ezra that now wasn't the time. She grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up. Ezra kept his eye on the wound as she pulled the shirt over head revealing her toned torso that was specked with the occasional scar ranging from knife cuts to laser burns on her shoulders and stomach. Her chest, to Ezra's relief was covered by a short tank top.

"Alright." Sabine said shakily. Ezra grabbed the painkiller injector and pressed it into her thigh. She barely winced as the needle broke her skin. The meds instantly went to work, Ezra felt her arms loosen up around his shoulders and some tension disappeared in her face. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead on his shoulder. Her dirty hair loosely fell across Ezra's shoulder and covered her face.

"Do it." She said. Ezra reached over her neck to place his right hand on her bare back to support it. He gripped the rebar like shrapnel in his left hand and took a deep breath to steady himself and his anxiety.

"Okay." Ezra whispered. He pushed the shrapnel forward, closing his eyes tightly as he did so. Sabines arms tightened around his neck and she bit into his shirt to help her cope with the deep pain. She let out a muffled scream bringing tears to Ezra's eyes as the shrapnel broke the skin on her back. As quickly as he could, Ezra grabbed the bloody end of the shrapnel and pulled it through. Sabines bodies went limp in his arms, he threw the shrapnel away from him in disgust as blood began to openly flow out of the wound in her back.

"Is...is it out?" Ezra heard Sabine barely whisper as he set her down on her side and pressed a bacta injector into her back next to the wound. The bloodflow instantly slowed, thickening as it did so from the coagulating agent.

"Yeah." Ezra answered through a shaky breath. His hands found the bandages, he deftly placed one on the wound on the back then another on the wound on her abdomen checking her breathing as he did so. Her breathing was more shallow than before. Ezra worked as fast as he could to stop the bleeding and hoped the bacta would do it's job.

"That's good." Sabine whispered, her eyes shut tight in pain and deliriousness. Ezra chuckled morbidly at how simple she made the situation. "Knew I could trust you." She added on.

"Yeah, and all you had to do was take your shirt off to prove it." Ezra teased as he wrapped a long bandage around her abdomen, covering the two patches on the wounds.

"If I didn't just have a piece of shrapnel pushed through me I would totally kick your ass for saying that." She replied venomously. Ezra would have been intimidated if he didn't also hear the hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Ezra put the rest of his remaining supplies back into his bag and gently placed his jacket over Sabines thin frame. She almost instantly pulled the jacket tight around her torso, shivering as she did so. Ezra had never seen her look so small and frail than at that moment, since the day he had met her she had always been larger than life to him, strong, unstoppable, and significantly taller than him. Now that he was taller and trained, it took everything in him not to smile at how small he realized the mighty Mandalorian warrior actually was.

Ezra sighed a breath of relief, he could feel in the force that she was more stable now. Unfortunately they weren't out of their predicament yet. He could still feel the beast outside, waiting.

 _One thing at a time, Ezra._ He said to himself realizing how heavy his eyelids felt. He moved between Sabine and the small entryway they had to crawl through to get into the hut. He sat down and leaned against the wall, his leg only a few inches away from Sabines resting head.

"Ezra," Sabine caught Ezras attention, somehow she was still awake. She pulled herself toward him and rested her head on his thigh as a pillow. Her eyes were barely open, he could only see a sliver of her nearly golden irises behind her eyelids. "Thank you for saving me."

"You'd do the same for me." Ezra replied simply. The small hut fell into silence aside from the crackling of flames in the fire and the occasional noise from outside. While Ezra dutifully watched the entrance for the beast, he could feel Sabine thinking instead of resting much to his dismay.

"What happened to her?" She asked, her voice was so soft that she sounded like a different person.

"She disappeared." Ezra explained with a shrug as if trying to play the whole memory off as if it was casual. He hadn't thought about it in years. He wasn't even sure if he could remember her face it had been so long. Sabine didn't pursue the topic anymore and once again fell quiet.

"I have a brother." Sabine said.

"What?" Ezra asked, unsure of why she would bring that up then of all times.

"His name is Tristan." She explained softly. Ezra opened his mouth to reply but wasn't sure what to say as he realized what she was doing.

"You said you didn't know a thing about me." Sabine explained. Ezra smiled softly in return. "And...I want you to know me." Her voice cracked as she spoke.

Ezra felt a familiar flutter in his heart, the same flutter he had when they first met. He wanted nothing more than to ask her questions, to learn more about the woman he so inexplicably fell for. The other part of him told him that she needed rest, and that he needed to not have his heart broken again. For two years he had made himself available to her and she had shown no interest, he had little reason to believe that had changed and forcing his affection on her wasn't the right thing to do. She was just being kind to him, telling him about her because she felt she owed him something he told himself.

"Get some rest, Sabine." Ezra said and folded his arms across his chest, lightsaber in hand in case whatever was out there decided to attack.

 _I'm not losing her now._ He told himself as he felt Sabines mind quickly fall into slumber, for the first time her presence felt at peace. Ezra found comfort in the smooth waves of color that was her force signature. Slowly, the calmness of Sabine's stable presence allowed Ezra to shake off the edge of fear he had been experiencing. That fear and concern for her well being that fuelled him in tracking her down was now being replaced by a sense of euphoria and relief.

Ezra could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest still. Sabine's head nestled in his lap no doubt a cause of it. At the same time though, he felt a pit form in his stomach making him feel queasy. He didn't want these feelings anymore. They were intoxicating and made him feel more vulnerable than he cared for. That vulnerability was why he had isolated himself in the first place.

 _I don't feel that way anymore. I can't._ Ezra reassured himself. He told himself he had just missed her, she was his best friend after all and he was worried about her.

 _She almost died, I'm just worried is all._ Ezra recalled how weak her life-force had gotten, it had made trying to find her that much harder. If it wasn't for the loud blundering stormtroopers, he wouldn't have been able to find her.

Sabine's head turned in Ezra's lap, he watched her eyes fluttering behind her shut eyelids frantically as she let out a soft whimper. She was having a nightmare, Ezra could feel it, the bright colors of her signature becoming more subdued but frantic, as if they were tendrils desperately reaching for help.

Hesitantly, Ezra placed his open palm on Sabine's cool temple. He brushed a strand of her dark hair behind her ear and reached out to her in the force through their contact.. He concentrated carefully on her mind and connecting to it without invading it. He respected her privacy to much, whatever she was having a nightmare about was her business. She didn't have to share it, but that didn't mean that he couldn't help her.

After making the connection Ezra carefully filtered out her emotions and offered her his. Calm thoughts and memories. The time she taught him how to paint, the time they had painted that stolen TIE fighter, the gift she gave him on their first Empire Day. They were good memories of simpler and happier times and thankfully it worked. Sabines whimpering stopped, her brow and eyes relaxed, the frantic fluttering of her eyes slowing and her signature reforming into a calm ocean of colorful waves. Ezra smiled as he remarked how innocent she looked as a small thin smile crossed her lips. The smile easily betrayed her fierce features and even fiercer personality, it was one of the few times Ezra had seen her with her mental guard down.

It was at that moment, amid her true unfiltered presence that Ezra knew without a shadow of a doubt, his old feelings for his Mandalorian friend remained, regardless of whether or not she reciprocated.

To most, Sabine Wren was unapproachable, standoffish, and far too aggressive. To Ezra though, she was intelligent, funny, and an inspiring artist. To him, she was perfect.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading everybody please review if you have review style comments! If you have questions then please PM me and I will gladly answer them to the best of my ability! To all the Ezrabine fans out there, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **I'd also like to just quickly once again thank you all for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following. It means the world to me and is really encouraging! I couldn't do this without you all so thank you so much!**


	9. Predator and Prey

**_Trying a new pre chapter and post chapter summary to remind you all of what happened in the last chapter and then at the end to give you a brief tease of what will happen on the next chapter. Let me know what you all think!_**

* * *

 _Last Chapter on Phantoms of the Past: After saving the Wookiees and being stranded on Kashyyyk. Ezra searches for and finds the gravely wounded Sabine. Old feelings are re-kindled as Sabine opens up to him for the first time. Meanwhile, a mysterious creature and a Mandalorian bounty hunter are both in pursuit of the young rebels._

Chapter 8: Predator and Prey

"Can't you just make a connection to in the force or whatever and make it leave?" Sabine asked with a grunt of pain as she pulled her shirt back over her shoulders and started to put her bloodied armor back on.

Ezra shook his head. "I've tried."

"Well?" Sabine said. Ezra looked at her with a confused expression. "Why didn't it work?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ezra sighed. "I don't know. It's not like anything I've encountered before. It's strong like the purgill but they reached out to me and they were connected with the light side of the force." His eyes scanned the woods outside the hut carefully, following an unseen target.

"I'm assuming this is dark side?" Sabine asked. She fastened her chest piece to herself then starting working on the pauldrons.

"I don't think so. It's angry, hungry, and prideful yes but it's also…" Ezra narrowed his eyes, concentrating even harder on the beast. "...at peace and in harmony with the forest."

Sabine rolled her eyes in frustration at the cryptic information. "Yeah, I don't understand what any of that means. Care to simplify that for the regular person, oh wise jedi?" She teased causing Ezra to roll his eyes and sigh.

"Everything is connected through the force." Ezra explained patiently. "And everything is also oriented in one way or another with a unique signature." Then he pointed out to the dark forest. "Except whatever that creature is. It's not light or dark and it makes it difficult to see."

Sabine paused for a moment, taking the information in and mulling it over carefully. It still didn't really make much sense to her. "So it's like it's wearing camouflage?"

"Yeah." Ezra answered emphatically. "Camouflage."

"Well. It doesn't change the fact that the Empire is still looking for us. We need to find a way to get off planet now."

"Are you sure you're strong enough? You lost a lot of blood." Ezra argued with concern in his voice.

Sabine shrugged and immediately regretted the decision. The movement instantly sent a wave of pain through her abdomen which she tried to play off as nothing. "I'm fine." She lied through gritted teeth.

"And you say I'm the bad liar." Ezra said with a raised eyebrow.

"Hah hah." Sabine replied dryly. "We don't have a choice. The Empire will eventually track us down. That thing will eventually get hungry and impatient. More importantly, every moment we waste is another moment the Empire has to blockade the planet to keep us from leaving the system. That is if they haven't already done that."

"You're right." Ezra resigned after a moment's consideration. "I still have the coordinates for Cassian's ship. It's not far from here and it's our best bet of getting off planet."

"Of course I'm right." Sabine tilted her head and grinned warmly.

"As always." Ezra replied with a roll of his eyes. Sabine donned her helmet, happy to be back in her armor after being so exposed. She didn't mind that it was with Ezra. In truth, she might have actually enjoyed it but it was so fleeting that she couldn't retain the feeling long enough to understand it. She had even caught him looking at her in what seemed like a not-so-platonic way a few times. Normally, she got mad if anybody checked her out even when she was in full armor. She was a soldier she told herself, not just something to sleep with. But Ezra didn't look at her like that, or at least she didn't think he did. It felt respectful and almost empowering instead of degrading, something she wanted more of.

 _He still thinks I'm good looking at least._ Sabine said to herself, almost confused at her apparent need for reassurance. He didn't have feelings for her anymore which left an empty feeling in her chest every time she remembered that. Sabine couldn't describe the void she felt when she thought about him. At times it seemed like she was friends with someone entirely different than the Ezra she knew, the Ezra she loved.

 _Loved?_ Sabine's train of thought stopped at that word. Had she ever felt this emotion before? She couldn't call anything or anyone to mind that she truly loved, not the kind of love that she had for Hera, Zeb, and Kanan. This was something different.

 _Is it different though?_ Suddenly, Sabine longed for Ezra's gaze again. Just to see that side of him for another moment.

 _Okay, maybe it is._ She resigned to herself.

 _But how I could possibly be with someone and love them?_ Sabine thought. Angry at herself for letting this happen; even more so for not realizing it sooner. Scared from the vulnerability she now felt. _No. Ezra does not have feelings for me anymore, this is not a possibility worth getting hurt over._

"You ready?" Ezra asked.

"Hm?" Sabine replied after being knocked out of her train of thought. "Oh yeah." She said. Sabine loaded another cell into her rifle while Ezra holstered his pistol and checked something on his lightsaber.

Ezra crawled through the entrance way first. Sabine tried not to groan as she followed, her abdomen screaming in pain as she crawled out of the hut. Ezra offered her a hand up which she gratefully took.

"You alright?" Ezra asked as she stood. He looked at her carefully as if studying her, his brow was crinkled as he spoke.

"I'm fine." Sabine answered dryly. "You're worse than Hera sometimes." She teased as they started walking side by side.

"No I'm not!" Ezra replied raising his hands up in defense. Sabine let the subject drop. Their voices carried too far in these woods and they weren't exactly welcome visitors.

She noticed Ezra's eyes furtively glancing every which way, never stopping in any particular spot as if he was trying to watch every avenue of approach on his own.

 _Whatever that thing is really has him on edge._ Sabine remarked to herself. She knew where the line was on teasing Ezra and decided not to push it. At least that's what she told herself. In truth, it had her on edge too. Her finger drummed on the trigger guard of her rifle methodically as they made their way through the forest, their feet nearly invisible in the knee high fog.

"Why hasn't it just attacked us? We're out in the open." Sabine asked quietly.

"It's smarter than that." Ezra answered through a clenched jaw, his eyes still carefully scanning their surroundings and no doubt reaching out in the force as well.

"Do you know where it is?" Sabine asked hoping he would have an answer.

"Nearby." Ezra answered darkly.

"Oh well that's very helpful, thanks."

"You're welcome." Ezra answered confidently with a toothy grin that made Sabine blush.

 _Damnit! Stop it! You've just missed him that's all._ She told herself.

 _That's it! I've just missed my friend!_ Sabine elated in her rationalization. There was no way it could be love. She didn't do love, it was too complicated.

"Well let's just keep making our way to the ship. Maybe it'll get bored and leave us alone." Sabine said after a moment of regaining her composure. She was a Mandalorian, not some lovesick teen from Coruscant she told herself. Mandalorians don't do feelings.

 _Mandalorians also don't dye their hair, paint their armor like this, or dishonor their name to the point of being declared an outsider._ The voice of doubt said in her head.

"Hah, yeah. I think there's a better chance of the Emperor stepping down than that ever happening." Ezra replied as they began to make their way through a thicket of undergrowth.

"Hey, a girl can dream." Sabine replied playfully, she had missed their witty back and forth. Ezra was the only person she knew who could manage to keep up with her sense of humor. With Kanan and Hera it always turned into lecture and Zeb well... Zeb wasn't exactly known for tact and wit.

"Well, you keep on dreaming. I'll be here in reality trying not to get eaten." Ezra said with a shrug of his shoulders.

The two continued on for another hour, talking here and there as they moved. Ezra had deduced that whenever they did stop talking, the beast got antsy and on edge, as if it was paranoid that they knew of its presence. They stopped a few times when they heard what they could only assume was their stalker but it refused to show. Whatever its plan was, if it had one, it wasn't as simple as that of an ordinary animal.

"It's enjoying stalking us." Ezra explained to try and comfort Sabine. She was on edge from the lack of contact with whatever it was. When it came to soldiers, ships, and real battles, Sabine was unshakable. This was no battlefield though. Ezra could tell she was growing more anxious with every minute and he didn't blame her. They were stuck completely playing by the rules of an unknown and unpredictable creature. The only comfort he found was that he could slightly detect it's emotions.

"Great, me too…" Sabine paused and clutched at her stomach as a fit of pain overtook her. "...who doesn't love being stalked." She hissed through clenched teeth.

"Sabine?" Ezra reached out to her.

"I'm fine." She brought her hand back to the grip of her rifle and kept walking.

"You need to rest before you exhaust yourself." Ezra explained.

"I said," She turned to him as she spoke, no doubt staring daggers behind her visor. "I'm fine."

* * *

"I said," She turned to him as she spoke, no doubt staring daggers behind her visor. "I'm fine."

Ezra shook his head and resigned to his stubborn counterpart. He kept a watchful eye on her as they kept walking. As suspected, Sabine slowed down, hunching over herself more and more with each step and talking less. She had lost a lot of blood, had experienced multiple physical traumas and was operating on minimal sleep. Ezra, however, was not even remotely surprised at her perseverance, that didn't mean he wasn't frustrated by it though. She was doing more harm than good by pushing herself.

 _And for what? To prove a point? That she can take care of herself?_ Ezra asked himself with a visible scowl. She was far too headstrong and stubborn to admit when she needed to rest. Ezra could feel it though. Sabine was hurting. What was concerning him even more was that he could feel the beast getting excited. Whatever it was waiting for had something to do with Sabine.

 _Maybe it can smell the blood?_

Ezra checked his GPS to check on their progress after another hour of walking. They had progressively slowed in progress as Sabine weakened but insisted on continuing.

 _Just two more kilometers._ Ezra told himself in reassurance as his eyes glanced over to Sabine. Regardless of how tough she was, he knew she wasn't going to make another two steps let alone two kilometers.

Ezra reached out to Sabine as she stumbled and fell to her knees.

"Sabine!" Ezra knelt down next to her placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine." She mumbled and brushed Ezra's hand off.

"No you're not!" Ezra felt a spike in annoyance from her but ignored it. "Sabine!" Ezra protested as she forced herself back onto her feet then fell back to her knees again.

" _Damnit."_ She whispered in her native tongue which Ezra realized he now understood.

 _So it's not just Shyriiwook that I know now?_ He was puzzled by the new development but quickly lost focus on it. Getting Sabine to safety was paramount, investigating his new ability was trivial.

"You can't walk. I'm carrying you." He recoiled when Sabines hand grasped his wrist tightly.

"Not a chance." She said vehemently.

"I carried you earlier!" Ezra argued, his voice raising in pitch slightly as he heard another noise from behind them, this one was closer.

"I was dying!"

"If we don't get moving we're both going to die!" Ezra nearly yelled, his eyes wide with anxiety and worry. It was coming for them now, it all clicked in Ezra's mind. The beast knew Sabine was wounded and was waiting for her to become tired.

Frantically Ezra grabbed Sabine's arm to pull her over his shoulder, she didn't budge. Her body was as tense and rigid as stone under his hand as she stared over his shoulder. It was then that he finally felt the true presence of the beast, it was pure evil.

 _Was it hiding itself from me in the force? How did it know?_

A heavy exhaled breath alerted Ezra to his physical proximity.

Slowly, Ezra turned his head to see where Sabine was looking. Merely ten meters away stood the beast. It was roughly three meters tall with dark green reptilian skin and empty black eyes. It had massive spikes of plated armor protruding from its back and over its shoulders. The mouth of the beast was open as if it was smiling, revealing dozens of razor sharp teeth that were dwarfed in size by the two sharp white tusks on either side of its mouth. It's massive arms that were as big around as Ezra's torso were lined with spikes from it's thick skin that travelled all the way down to its hands which bore four ebony claws on each one.

 _No, they're supposed to be extinct._ Ezra recognized the beast from his studies with Ahsoka. She had told him of the creature that was believed to be created by the ancient Sith. It was nothing but the dark side and evidently capable of hiding itself in the force. There was one other thing that Ezra remembered, the worst part of it all, they liked to feed off of the blood of force sensitives and were almost completely immune to the force. It was a Jedi's worse nightmare. The Terentatek.

Ezra slowly realized what this all meant as the Terentatek released a blood curdling roar that echoed throughout the dark forest causing every other creature to fall silent.

 _It was never tracking Sabine. It was tracking me._ Ezra stood and readied his saber. The beast's eyes followed him as he carefully strafed away from Sabine.

"Ezra!" Sabine protested as Ezra's saber activated at his side, illuminating the right side of his body in an eerie green light and leaving the rest in the shadow of darkness. The beast growled menacingly sending a shiver down Ezra's spine. The force rippled through the air, the darkness of the beast's nature falling on Ezra's shoulders like a wet blanket that was soaked in fear and hate.

"It's here for me." Ezra explained in a low calm voice.

"What?!"

"It's a Terentatek. It hunts force sensitives," Ezra explained. "And it's been a long time since it's had one to hunt."

Ezra prepared himself mentally, trying to center himself as he had before. He felt the dark side permeate his surroundings, stemming from the beast. It practically dripped with hatred and it was all directed towards Ezra. The Terentatek dug its heel into the ground, threatening to charge. Ezra immediately felt a warning in the force, the hairs on his neck immediately standing on edge.

"Ezra watch out!" Ezra was thrown to the ground by the weight of Sabine pushing him. As soon as he felt the weight of Sabines body land on him he heard the sound of a blaster and saw a red bolt of energy fly directly over their heads. He helped Sabine roll off of him and onto her knees as he reactivated his lightsaber. Instantly another shot came from the darkness, this time Ezra was ready. He raised his weapon at just the right angle and deflected the shot, then a second, and a third. Another warning in the force hit him as he backed up with Sabine behind him, he heard the heavy thudding of the Terentatek's feet on soil, then saw another shot from the darkness. Acting as quickly as he could, Ezra held up his saber at just the right angle, his eyes on the shot and his ears on the creature. The bolt impacted with his green saber, Ezra watched as it bounced off of his weapon and impacted with the beast, hitting it right above its eyes.

The blaster bolt didn't do any damage, the natural armor was too thick, but it did succeed in causing the monster to stumble, clutching at its eyes and roaring in pain as the bright light temporarily blinded it.

"Get to cover!" Ezra yelled blocking another shot and following Sabine's trail as they worked their way behind a tree and away from the mysterious gunfire.

Once they were finally in cover, Sabine spoke through strained breaths. "Mandalorian." She said as she groaned and clutched at her wound.

"What?" Ezra asked incredulously.

"It's a Mandalorian shooting at us!" She hissed as she pulled out her combat knife in her left hand and pistol in her right. "Using night vision." She explained. Her body tensed at the sound of the Terentatek's roaring stopping, turning into a heavy panting as it neared their location.

"We can't fight them both at the same time." Ezra explained worriedly, unsure of what to do. Sabine wasn't in any shape to fight.

"I'll distract the Mandalorian, keep him at a distance." Sabine explained. Then nodded behind Ezra as the Terentatek rounded the corner of the massive tree only a few meters away. "You draw that damned thing away from here and take it out."

"Are you sure?" Ezra asked his eyes flitting nervously between the visor of her helmet and her wound.

"Yes!" She yelled impatiently. "Now go!" She yelled with such force that it caused Ezra to immediately comply. He turned away from her, listening to her footsteps and followed by a staccato of her blaster pistol firing. She had her mission, he had his.

Ezra steeled his mind and readied his saber. The beast charged at Ezra, with a sinister snarl it slashed at his midsection missing only by inches as he jumped backwards away from the attack. Acting on his training, Ezra took the opportunity to close the distance and retaliate with his own attack. In a single sweeping motion he swept his saber down with two hands on the back of the Terentatek's arm. The saber impacted then immediately bounced off, leaving only an orange scorch mark on the thick hide. Ezra's eyes widened in surprise, the deflection of his attack threw him off balance giving the beast just enough time to respond in kind.

The monster swung it's attacked arm back at Ezra and hit its target directly in the chest. Ezra screamed as the spiked armor tore through his chest, scraping against his ribcage as the blunt force of the backhanded attack threw him into the air.

Before Ezra stopped screaming, he felt the ground as the momentum threw him into a rolling tumble of dirt and moss.

 _Don't resist a fall, go with it and play into it._ Ahsoka's words from her non-stop training echoed in his mind.

As Ahsoka had taught him, he went with the tumble instead of trying to fight it. Once he had slowed enough he planted his hand then feet onto the soil. He fought off the sensation of dizziness and quickly sidestepped another charge from the Terentatek. The Jedi couldn't help but be surprised and impressed by how fast the Terentatek was, despite its size. As the beast charged, it swung down, slamming its claws into the dirt that Ezra had just been standing on, as its hands landed Ezra took note of the crevasses in the armor. In between them he could see softer flesh. Something a lightsaber could likely cut through.

 _Disarm your enemy as quickly as possible._ Ahsoka's voice of guidance said again.

Pushing back the aching pain in his chest, Ezra took his opportunity and stabbed at an opening in the hide in its hands just above its claws. He couldn't help but find satisfaction in hearing his target howl in pain. He pushed the lightsaber further in until the the end of the hilt touched the armor on each side of the opening and rolled over the hand underneath a swinging attack from the creature's other hand. Angling the lightsaber as he rolled over the hand, he heard the creature howl again as the lightsaber cut through its hand entirely.

Ezra came to his feet and backed away from his opponent as it took in the sight of its dismembered claws and mangled hand. After a moment, the Terentatek turned and looked at Ezra, revealing nothing but pure hatred in its eyes. Ezra could feel the dark side in the beast at this point. It's true nature was harrowing and corrupting, but the raw power that it held was nothing short of magnificent. Ezra couldn't help but admire the power of the dark side in the Terentatek, regardless of how it wanted to use that strength. It wanted nothing more than to rip Ezra apart and then Sabine, even though she wasn't a force sensitive, it knew that Ezra was attached to her somehow.

 _No._ Ezra said to himself. _I won't let you hurt her._ The Terentatek readied itself for another charge. Ezra raised his lightsaber in front of him and took a defensive stance preparing himself to fight to the death. They both now had a mutual understanding.

One of them was going to die here.

* * *

Sabine repeatedly squeezed the trigger on her pistol, firing at her distant target as she dove to her next cover. Another far-too-accurate shot landed exactly where she had been standing not even a second earlier.

She still really hadn't seen her opponent aside from a fleeting glance of their helmet, enough to tell her she was going up against another Mandalorian. The prospect of fighting somebody as similarly skilled as her was not promising. Just the day before she would have welcomed the challenge but due to her wounds she knew her only chance of getting out of this was holding their hunter off until Ezra came to help.

She listened carefully as she regained her breath before firing around the corner of the moss covered boulder she sat behind. Save for Ezra and the Terentatek fighting in the distance, she couldn't hear anything. She peaked around the corner of her cover, hoping to see if she could spot anything. She saw nothing but trees, fog, and darkness. Whoever it was, they knew what they were doing.

Sabine swore silently, her hunter was on the move, likely trying to flank her. _Where are you?_ She scanned her surroundings hoping to see or hear any type of movement. After a few tense moments she heard something much closer than she expected, the sound of dirt crushing underneath a boot and it was directly behind her. Reacting on instinct she dove to the side just in time to dodge a vibroblade that crashed into the boulder she had previously been behind.

Coming up from a roll she immediately fired at the black armored Mandalorian that stood over a foot taller than her. She only managed to get one shot off before he was too close, with an upward swipe of his sword he hit the barrel of her pistol throwing it from her hand.

Sabine instantly ignored her lost weapon and resorted to her combat knife, she did a backhanded slash towards his neck which he easily dodged. She gasped in pain as he charged and elbowed her in the stomach, she tried to push him back but he grabbed her by shoulder with his open hand and planted a kick directly on her chest. The kick threw her back onto the ground.

Dazed and winded but still in the fight, Sabine saw him take his sword in both hands and try to plunge it down into her chest while she was laying on the ground. Instinctually, she rolled to the side. The blade landed so close that she felt it graze against the back of her shoulder guards, likely scraping off paint. Dropping her knife, she raised her left arm and gripped the hilt of the blade over the other Mandalorians hands. With all of her weight, Sabine rolled into the blade ripping it from his hands and pinned it beneath her body. Taking advantage of her momentum she swung her leg up and landed a kick on the side of his head knocking him to the ground next to her.

"Come on you can do better than that!" She taunted trying not to give away just how tired she already was. The elbow to her gut had done a lot more damage than he probably knew. She pushed herself to her knees, and tried to grab the blade she had recently disarmed him of.

Unfortunately for her, he recovered just as quickly. Before Sabine could even point the blade in his direction, he charged her with a tackle throwing her down to the ground with his weight. She tried to raise her arms to defend herself but he quickly pinned them to the ground with his legs then raised a fist and punched her twice. Her helmet protected her from the pain but not as much from the pure force of the attack that slammed her head against the ground twice causing her vision to go blurry. She felt his hands grab her helmet on each side and pull it off exposing her face to the cool Kashyyyk air.

The Mandalorian laughed as he took in her facial features. "Sabine Wren." He said. "I was hoping it was you. Your house will pay me just as much to kill you as the Empire will."

"Screw you." She spat back struggling underneath his weight, trying to gain any type of freedom she could.

"I'm going to enjoy this." He snarled, as he pulled a knife from his belt and pressed it firmly against her throat. The cold steel felt like ice against her burning skin.

"Well then, get it over with." Sabine relented, there was no getting out of this. She wouldn't be able to resolve any of her unfinished business after all. At least she had opened up to Ezra, if only a little bit. He deserved better than her as a friend anyways she told herself.

"Oh no. Not yet." He said. As he revealed binders in his other hand, he reached over placing them over her wrist then letting that arm free. He dragged her free arm over to her still pinned one and connected the binders to her other wrist. "I've hunted many jedi before. Do you want to know the best way to kill them?" He asked rhetorically.

Sabine gave him nothing in response, simply staring at him coldly. Sensing this, the Mandalorian answered his own question. "Threaten to kill somebody if they don't surrender. Easy as that." He laughed as he stood up and yanked Sabine onto her feet. "Jedi love a good self sacrifice."

* * *

Ezra jumped over the charging beast and landed on its back with ease. His force attunement assisting him in keeping his balance. He looked for another opening in the armor but found none, the plating overlapped on the back so that there was no apparent or easy to exploit weakness.

 _If your enemy has no visible weakness. Make one._ Ezra recalled another lesson from Ahsoka. He slashed at the beasts hand as it tried to grab him forcing it to recoil in pain as the saber hit an opening in the armor.

 _Use your strength._ Ezra recalled his most recent training with Ahsoka then grabbed one of the armor plates with his cybernetic hand and pulled as hard as he could. The hide held at first but slowly gave way. The Terentatek howled in pain as the large plate just between it's shoulders was peeled away and eventually off of its body leaving raw flesh.

Ezra brought his lightsaber up ready to plunge down into the exposed flesh but was cut short by the monster tilting its body and grabbing him around the torso with its massive claws. Ezra grimaced in pain as the hand and sharp talons squeezed his chest, threatening to crush him as the Terentatek brought him down to his face. It opened its mouth revealing ebony teeth as it roared and brought Ezra in closer. Ezra panicked at the sight before him, knowing full well the Terentatek planned to eat him alive.

"No no no!" He yelled as he frantically slashed at the beasts arm hoping it would force it to drop him. His attempts failed and Ezra was drawn even closer, he could feel it's breath on his face and see the black veins running through the soft flesh of its mouth.

 _Its mouth!_ Ezra pulled his saber back and slashed at the Terentateks open mouth. The saber cut through the soft flesh of the Terentateks tongue. Roaring in pain the beast held Ezra up and threw him on the ground. Ezra landed back first, he hit the ground so hard that he felt his body make a divot in the soft dirt and moss and his lightsaber bounced out of his open hand landing a few meters away as it instantly deactivated.

The distant image of the forest canopy above Ezra was instantly blocked by a clawed monstrous hand swinging down to finish him off. On pure instinct he extended his right hand to his lightsaber and willed it to come to him. As he had practiced a thousand times, the saber immediately came to his hand. He activated it and aimed it directly at the hand. The Terentatek roared as the saber easily pierced the exposed palm which went all the way down to the hilt. The hilt kept the beast's claws just millimeters short from cutting Ezra's face and the only thing holding the hilt where it was was the additional strength he had in his cybernetic arm, but even that wasn't enough to hold for long.

Ezra strained against gravity and the weight of the monster as it put its weight above its arm. Slowly, he started to give way. The longest claw scraped along Ezra's cheek leaving only a small cut. The jedi racked his mind, his eyes searching his surroundings for any idea on how to get out of his predicament. He didn't see anything, but he felt something in the force. It was warm and cold, bright and dark mixed into one and more importantly it was familiar but Ezra couldn't quite place it. The darkness reminded him of the first time he had made a psychic connection.

 _I can control it with the dark side. I've done that before._ Ezra remarked and decided he didn't have any other options anyways. He turned back to the beast. Looking back at the Terentatek, Ezra loosened his right hand from his saber, and extended an open palm towards the head of the beast who continued to press its attack. The hilt of Ezra's saber was now firmly pressed into his chest but still held.

"Come on." Ezra growled as he tried to force himself into the mind of the Terentatek. He knew what he had to do. He thought of every dark memory he could. Every time he was scared or angry in his life. When his parents disappeared, when Kanan got captured by the Grand Inquisitor. He thought of losing Sabine and how angry and panicked he had become when hunting the troopers hunting her, and he thought of what the Terentatek planned on doing to Sabine after Ezra.

His mind instantly flooded with fear and hate, anger for everything in the galaxy for putting him here and anger for the beast that he sought to dominate. He willed himself to control the beast, for it to give in to his will, but he was met by an impassable wall in its mind, it was almost as dark of a void as the one he had felt when fighting Vader. His failed assault was interrupted again by a familiar feeling in the force, Ezra recognized it this time. The same feeling he had on Dantooine when the force ghosts showed themselves to him. Two apparitions appeared just a few meters away from Ezra, Bastila Shan and Jaden Montari, silent as before. Unlike before, Ezra felt their presences in a much more powerful way. He felt both of their presences combine with his in his mind and heart as his dark emotions were washed away.

It was like nothing he had ever felt before, he had made a telepathic connection with Kanan and even Ahsoka before but this was something beyond even that. He felt all of Jaden's and Bastila's emotions washing over his as they tried to help him. There was passion, pure emotion, both love and hate. He saw flashes of his family before his eyes. Not just his biological parents, but the ghost crew as well, both good times and bad. He saw an image of Sabine, smiling as she held his hand with tears streaming down her cheeks with the walls of a med-bay behind her, he didn't remember the memory but he paid that no mind. He also felt the chaos in the world around him, the death and destruction caused by the Empire, but he also felt and saw the life that the death gave way for.

Ezra felt the light and the dark. He felt balance.

"I understand." Ezra whispered. Keeping his mind focused he pressed his mental attack. He pushed into the empty, impenetrable wall of the beast's mind. The Terentatek began to lighten its pressure on Ezra, its eyes becoming hazy as the jedi pushed further and further. Sweat beaded on Ezra's forehead as he kept up the attack. His hand began to shake and falter as his body grew weaker but his mind held steady.

Finally the Terentatek relented. Ezra felt the void burst around its mind unfurling like a million threads being undone and falling to nothing. It was under his control now. Ezra's hand fell to his side as he let out a deep breath. The terentatek stood tall and simply looked at the jedi, there was no more hate in its eyes.

After regaining his breath, Ezra rolled onto his feet and stood. He looked apprehensively at the controlled Terentatek then back at his saviors.

"Why did you help me?" Ezra asked frantically hoping they wouldn't simply disappear again.

"Because you needed our help." Bastila said in a calming voice, Ezra felt his jaw slightly drop at hearing the force ghost actually talk. Before he could ask another question, their silhouettes began to fade.

"Wait no!" Ezra plead as they faded away watching him with fond smiles. Ezras shoulders drooped at the realization that they were once again gone, leaving him only with more questions. He was immediately pulled back into the problems at hand upon hearing some type of hand to hand combat in the distance.

"Sabine…" Ezra's eyes opened wide in panic. He reached out in the force and was comforted to still sense her in the force. He felt something else too, perhaps the Mandalorian he hadn't sensed before but it was still mostly hidden. Regardless, he had to get back to her.

He looked back to the Terentatek still firmly under his control.

"Lets go finish this."

* * *

Sabine struggled to stay on her feet, the adrenaline rush from the fight had faded, now she was just back to being exhausted and in excruciating pain. It was a blessing and a curse that her captor was strong enough to hold her up. He had stuffed a piece of cloth in her mouth and thrown her helmet aside as well as put binders on her ankles, she couldn't move her arms, walk, or talk.. He held his knife up to her throat from behind, his own back to a tree so that nobody could sneak behind him.

She felt her heart skip a beat as Ezra finally emerged from the forest. He had survived, and seeing as how the Terentatek was nowhere in sight, she could only assume he killed it, but the fight had clearly taken its toll. Ezra's chest was bloodied and his face once again covered in blood with additional cuts, scrapes, and bruises. He held his lightsaber in one hand at his side, deactivated, and his other hand pressed on one of his torso wounds. Ezra looked like he was in as bad of shape as Sabine felt.

Ezra stopped in his tracks, looking at Sabine helplessly.

"What do you want?" He asked, his voice sounding strained and exhausted.

"Surrender. Or your friend dies slowly." The Mandalorian replied simply, his gravelly voice laced with a tone of enjoyment and even excitement that disgusted Sabine.

"I have a counter offer." Ezra said immediately.

"And what's that?" The man asked. Sabine shifted uncontrollably, she tried to push the cloth out of her mouth to warn Ezra, to tell him that he should just run. He wouldn't be able to beat the Mandalorian. That wasn't what she feared most though, she feared that he would sacrifice himself for her just as her captor had predicted.

"Let her go, and I won't kill you." Ezra answered. The Mandalorian laughed sending a chill down Sabines spine.

"You stand a chance, Jedi." The Mandalorian said. He pressed the blade further against Sabine's neck, just enough to draw blood. She saw Ezra react, stepping forward angrily and ready to fight.

 _Just run dammit!_ She tried to yell which only came out as a muffle.

"If you think I'm that weak. Then come fight me…" Ezra remarked, he tossed his lightsaber beside him and onto the ground.

 _No. Ezra please._ Sabine panicked as she realized what he was doing. Her heart sank as he finished what he started.

"I invoke the Mandalorian code." She felt her captor's body stiffen as hers went limp with regret. Ezra was a capable combatant, but he was injured and evidently not planning on using his lightsaber, he was going to get himself killed trying to save her.

"You're not Mandalorian." Sabines captor answered.

"Afraid you'll be beaten by an outsider? I won't even use my lightsaber or the force." Ezra teased with a smirk. It worked. Sabine fell to the ground and onto her side when the Mandalorian dropped her and stepped over her.

"I'm not afraid of you." He said, he sheathed his knife.

"Then come get me." Ezra said as he took a defensive fighting stance and held his arms up in front of him as he prepared to grapple.

The Mandalorian charged with an intimidating warcry that made even Sabine nervous. Ezra blocked the first punch from the soldier but didn't manage to step back before the soldier headbutted him grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder onto the ground. In a matter of a second, the fight was as good as over.

Ezra landed on his stomach and showed no sign of even fighting back, the soldier kicked him in the rib cage so hard that Sabine could hear ribs cracking. She screamed so hard her throat went raw. The Mandalorian kept kicking Ezra but he made no noise and no reaction as if he wasn't mentally present, but he wasn't dead. She could still see him breathing, but Sabine knew that wouldn't last much longer as the hunter beat him to death.

She couldn't look away as much as she wanted too. It was horrifying, her best friend was being slowly killed in front of her eyes.

 _I just got him back._ She said to herself as tears filled her eyes making her vision blurry as she sobbed. Her heartbreak was cut short by something coming into her sight. She blinked rapidly, trying to force the tears out of her eyes so that she could see what it was. Finally she recognized it. The Terentatek. It was missing half of a hand, and a piece of the thick hide armor on its back was completely gone. It walked directly over her and towards Ezra and the soldier who had his back to them.

As soon as it was in reach, the beast grabbed the soldier around his torso.

"What the-" The soldier yelled but was instantly cut short by the beast slamming him down into the ground repeatedly. With each hit, the soldier became more and more limp, responding less and less until eventually he clearly had no fight left in him.

 _What the hell is going on?!_ Sabine watched in awe and horor, the Terentatek was purposely only attacking the Mandalorian.

Ezra stood up from the ground slowly, coughing as he did. The Terentatek dropped the soldier onto his back with a heavy thud then stepped back. Sabine watched in amazement as Ezra called his saber to his hand then stood over the Mandalorian.

"You cheated." She heard the Mandalorian wheeze through strained breaths.

Ezra shrugged. "You said it yourself. I'm not a Mandalorian. The rules don't mean much to me."

"Well, go on then. Kill me!" The man almost screamed. Ezra looked at the Terentatek and nodded grimly. The beast grabbed the soldier again and brought him up to his mouth.

"Shouldn't have used Sabine like bait." Ezra said as he turned away and walked towards Sabine, a grim and expressionless look on his face.

Sabine was glad that Ezra's body blocked the image of the Terentatek taking the first bite. It didn't stop her from hearing the blood curdling screams and crunching of teeth on armor but it did make it easier.

Ezra knelt down next to her with a groan of pain. He gently pulled the piece of cloth from her mouth. She didn't have the energy to speak anymore so she stayed quiet. She let Ezra undo her bindings then pick her up, she was too tired to argue and he seemed like he was still somehow strong enough to carry her.

She watched his blank stare carefully as he looked forward towards their destination and away from the gruesome sight behind them.

Finally, they were going home.

* * *

"Sabine I'm fine!" Ezra protested. "Now you're the one who sounds like Hera!"

Sabine pushed him down onto the end of the crew bench and stood over him. They were in hyperspace now on Cassian's U-Wing headed back to Atollon but they had some time before they would arrive. "You're bleeding, you could have a concussion, and you almost certainly have some cracked ribs." She listed his injuries one at a time counting them up on her fingers. "And don't even get me started on your face." She said remarking at his swollen nose and two long gashes running down his cheeks, the first from the prison break and the second from the Terentatek she assumed.

Ezra looked at her defiantly, his blue eyes weakened under her own stare. Finally he relented and sighed.

"Shirt off." Sabine commanded as she pushed the back of the bench seat down so could get behind him. She helped Ezra gently remove his jacket and threw it aside. He tried to grab his shirt and pull it over his head but winced in pain, his body tensed and his face contorted at even the slightest movement of his torso.

"I- I can't." He finally said with a look of shame on his face. Sabine sighed and took out a pair of scissors from the medkit she had found in the ship. Slowly she cut from the neck down to the bottom hem then helped him take the shirt off the same way as the jacket. Now that Ezra was shirtless she did her best to keep herself together. His chest and ribs were covered in a single deep purple bruise, there were three long gashes from the side of his chest all the way to the center.

"Feels like Deja Vu." Ezra remarked.

"Huh?" Sabine asked curiously.

"One of us shirtless, the other one patching them up." Ezra explained casually.

"Yeah." Sabine chuckled. "Guess this shows that you trust me, right?" Ezra laughed and immediately regretted it, the movement causing far too much pain. The two fell into silence as Sabine began to tend to his wounds.

She made short work of the wounds, giving him bacta for the cuts and bandaging them as well as wrapping his rips. As she worked her way to his back she noticed a massive scar that went all the way from one shoulder to the opposite hip.

"What's this from?" She asked curiously as she unconsciously ran her finger along the scar. She felt Ezra shudder underneath her touch.

"A souvenir from Malachor." Ezra explained. He turned his head to see Sabine's face out of the corner of his eye. "From Vader." He added on.

"I'm sorry." Sabine responded somberly as she realized how humiliating the scar probably was for him, it was probably part of what motivated him to push them all away, she knew she would do the same thing. How could she expect herself to protect the ones she loved if she couldn't even handle herself.

"Don't be." He responded simply.

"Thank you for saving me again." Sabine said in an attempt to change the subject.

Ezra responded with a kind and humble smile. "You'd have done the same for me." He repeated the same response he had used in the hut after patching her up.

"Did you mean what you said back in the hut?" Ezra asked. "About wanting me to know you?" She could see in his eyes how hopeful he was that she would say yes.

"Yes. I did." Sabine answered softly and smiled at the sight of Ezra's eyes lighting up. "Now get some rest."

Much to her surprise, Ezra complied. He laid down on the bench and closed his eyes within a few minutes he was asleep thanks to the help of the bacta healing agent. Sabine grabbed a blanket and knelt next to him. She sadly eyed the scar on his shoulder and all of the additional scars he bore on his body. They all told the story about his life, a life of loneliness, despair, and pain. She could only imagine some of the psychological scars that she had yet to see. Despite all of that, he was still the best person she knew, with the kindest heart and brightest soul. She had no doubt that whatever happened to Ezra, he would never lose who he was in his heart.

"I'm so sorry, Ezra." She whispered as tears welled up in her eyes. He deserved so much better. She placed the blanket over his body and gently swept her fingers through his hair. She recalled how distant and intolerant she had been of him when they first met, and also how head over heels he was for her, not that was gone. Even though she knew it could never work, she couldn't help but regret not giving him a chance. After truly seeing and realizing who Ezra she couldn't help but feel entirely infatuated with him. After a moment of doubt, she leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. She felt her heart flutter as their lips touched. It was brief and unreciprocated but it was enough. It was enough for her to tell herself that was all she needed, that she could move on from these conflicting feelings and that she could accept that he didn't feel the same way for her anymore.

It was at that moment that Sabine Wren didn't question whether or not she loved Ezra. She still didn't know it herself but she didn't deny it. To most, Ezra was nothing more than a loth-rat, a thief, and a rebel. Maybe that's all he was when she first met him. But to her at that moment, he was brave, he was kind, he was strong, and he was the glimmer of hope in the galaxy that she never knew she needed. To her, he was perfect.

* * *

 _Next Chapter on Phantoms of the Past: Ezra gets a much needed history lesson about his suspicious visitors in the force while Ahsoka encourages him to reunite with his family. Ahsoka, Ezra, and Kanan all learn more about the force and a piece of Mauls sinister plan is revealed._

* * *

 **Authors Note: Hey everybody thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed the Ezrabine moments and the action! As always please review and thank you for reading! Also just so you all know there will be two chapters next week as a holiday gift and thank you to you all!**


	10. History of the Force

**Hey everybody sorry for the slightly late post. I know I said I would try and do two chapters this week but I just ended up being too busy with the holidays to pull that off. I did however manage to write the longest and most diverse chapter yet! I hope you enjoy! Additionally I will be answering some common questions or remarks that I've gotten in the reviews at the bottom of the chapter.**

* * *

 _Last Chapter on Phantoms of the Past: Ezra experienced true balance in the force for the first time, leaving him with more questions than answers. Sabine and Ezra escaped Kashyyyk and Sabine considers her relationship with Ezra after learning more about him._

Chapter 9: History of the Force

Ezra sat alone in the dark small quarters that was his bedroom at Chopper base. The only source of light was the datapad that he read from. It illuminated his skin in a ghostly blue and white light as his eyes scanned across the screen from line to line. It was the first time he had ever not been bored while reading. He wasn't exactly sure why he found the subject so interesting but had deduced that it was probably because it had something to do with him. Ahsoka had given him the datapad and told him to read all of the files on it, claiming that it would be easier for him to read about the Mandalorian wars and this Jaden Montari and Bastila Shan that were evidently such a big deal. Ahsoka had told him to read everything that night then in the morning they would talk about it all.

So far he hadn't seen anything about the mysterious force users. The files were in chronological order and the first three were all about the first ten years of the war which were actually just planetary raids. No battles, just the Mandalorians raiding and sometimes even killing entire species. The last bit of info had shook Ezra and put a bad taste in his mouth. He knew the Mandalorian culture was based on war but he had no idea that they so openly used to commit genocide. He made a mental note of asking Sabine for her opinion on it in the future. He knew for sure there was no way she supported such a practice.

 _Maybe that was why she left her home?_ Ezra theorized briefly before deciding to just ask instead of coming to his own conclusions. She had said she wanted him to know more about her.

He closed one file and moved onto the next reading through them all and absorbing as much information as he could until he found what he was truly looking for.

 _Initially, the Jedi Order had no involvement in war, particularly those of the galactic scale. As such, during the Mandalorian Wars the Jedi Order did not side with either the Republic or the Mandalorians at first. It was only when the outspoken Jedi Knight, Jaden Montari, a leader of a group of Jedi known as the Revanchists who sought to fight against the Mandalorians, found evidence of the Cathar genocide committed on the species homeworld._

 _Upon touching the mask of a fallen Mandalorian soldier, Montari and all the other present Jedi, including members of the Jedi council, had a vision. The vision was that of the original bearer of the mask, a Mandalorian woman and soldier who stood between countless helpless Cathar and a legion of Mandalorian crusaders. She pled with their leader, Cassus Fett, telling him that the people had surrendered and they didn't need to be killed. Fett then ordered the soldier to be killed along with all of the Cathar prisoners. Upon seeing this vision, the Jedi council reluctantly granted Montari the right to reinstate the Jedi Peace Corps, a division of Jedi whose main purpose was to help with protecting and healing wounded soldiers on the battlefield._

 _Montari took the mask of the dead Mandalorian soldier and donned it, swearing to wear it until the soldier and all of the Cathar people were avenged. It was for this moment that he also took on the name Revan forgoing his birth name of Jaden Montari. Within a year, Revan's tactics and combat prowess led to him being made Supreme Commander of the Republic Military. Despite many military successes, the Mandalorian army seemingly had endless resources and showed no signs of withdrawing from the war._

 _In a desperate gamble, Revan ordered the deployment of the Mass Shadow Generator, a super weapon capable of generating gravity wells on a planetary scale and ordered it and the remainder of the Republic fleet to gather in the orbit of Malachor V._

"Malachor V." Ezra whispered to himself. _This must be why Sabine was so upset when I told her we went to Malachor._

Ezra went back to reading, his mind far too intrigued to hold a solid train of thought as he read on as if he was slowly unraveling a mystery.

 _To insure victory, the majority of the Mandalorian fleet as well as Mandalore the Ultimate, the leader of the Mandalorian people, went to the Malachor system to insure a decisive victory over the Republic. It was in the orbit of Malachor V that Revan challenged Mandalore the Ultimate to a duel and won. After the personal victory over the Mandalorian leader, Revan took the Mandalore's mask and ordered the use of the Mass Shadow Generator on the planet of Malachor V. The artificially generated gravity well resulted in the destruction of 90% of the Mandalorian fleet and 40% of the Republic fleet with a total of over three hundred ships and an estimated 300,000 dead, 1,250 of which were Jedi members of the peace corps that Revan had reinstated._

 _The planet of Malachor itself was devastated and made barren, although the population on the planet was miniscule at the time due to superstition surrounding a rumored battle at a Sith temple on the planet. However, there is no current evidence of a battle or Sith temple ever existing on the planet._

 _With the Mandalore dead and Revan in possession of his mask. There was no true way for a new leader to take the title of Mandalore. The Mandalorian conquest was shattered as new and old clans fought amongst themselves for power in the absence of their leader. During this time, the Republic retook lost territories and rebuilt their fleets. Revan and his close comrade, Alec, soon disappeared in search of a rumored Sith Emperor who had evidently tricked Mandalore the Ultimate into starting the war to test the Republic's Defenses._

 _They never returned._

"Wait what?" Ezra asked incredulously at the sudden end to the story. He deduced that it couldn't be the end, he moved to the next file titled 'The Jedi Civil War'

Before he could start reading he was interrupted by the door to his room sliding open letting bright unnatural light pour into his small room and nearly blind him. The lights switched on revealing Ahsoka to be the silhouetted figure at the door.

"You could have knocked." Ezra complained his eyes still squinting in pain from the sudden change in lighting. As his eyes opened fully he noticed his friend was tapping her foot repeatedly with her right hand on her hip and her eyes seeming hazy with confusion, she was scared? Worried? Ezra couldn't tell, he had never seen her outwardly express any of those emotions.

"I need your help, Ezra." She said with a shaky voice.

 _Both._ Ezra realized once she spoke. _She's scared and worried._

"Before you agree to anything. I have to tell you, it could be dangerous. It could be nothing. I have no idea what we're up against and we'll have no backup because Sato won't sanction the mission without more information, even Hera can't convince him." Ahsoka said, the words spilled out of her mouth so quickly that Ezra could barely understand what she was trying to say. The tense Togruta waited silently as a wide-eyed Ezra processed what she had just said.

It was only a few seconds before he nodded with a confident smirk. "Where are we going?"

* * *

They had been in hyperspace for nearly an hour now. Ahsoka walked away from the cockpit and sat on the bench across from Ezra on the Phantom which Hera had let them borrow. Ahsoka still hadn't told Ezra much of anything other than that she felt something in the force and an old friend might be in danger. That was all she told him and he decided not to press it any further. Whatever questions he had, she clearly wasn't interested in answering. He did decide, however, that it would be a good time to ask more about the Mandalorian wars.

"I read about the Mandalorian wars." Ezra explained. "I got to the end of it and it said that Revan and Alec went to investigate a rumored Sith Empire but never returned. What happened? That can't be it." He hoped that Ahsoka would take the bait on his attempt to at least distract her while they waited. He knew from experience that sitting nervously and doing nothing wasn't a good tactic before a potential fight.

"They returned…" Ahsoka explained as her eyes drifted to the swirling hyperspace out the cockpit window. "...but they weren't the same people that they were when they left."

"What do you mean?" Ezra asked.

"Revan and Alec left as Jedi Knights and celebrated heroes in a single ship by themselves looking for a Sith Empire. When they returned…" Ahsoka shook her head shamefully. "They were Sith Lords with an endless fleet backing them. They called themselves Darth Revan and Darth Malak. Within weeks, countless Jedi and former followers of Revan flocked to their cause becoming Sith. Half of the galaxy joined Darth Revan's new Sith Empire within weeks due to the Republic armies still being so weak from the Mandalorian wars."

"So Jaden's a Sith?!" Ezra's eyes lit up in anger and fear at realizing that one of his ghostly saviors wasn't as heroic as he had thought.

"Jaden Montari was a Jedi then became a Sith lord yes, but I'm not done yet." Ahsoka explained.

"Eventually, a group of Jedi Knights that hadn't turned boarded Revan's ship during a space battle. Their mission was to apprehend or kill him. During the confrontation, Darth Malak ordered his own ship to fire on Revan's, hoping to kill his partner to take control of the Sith Empire for himself. Revan was knocked unconscious and all but one of the Jedi Knights was killed. The surviving Jedi Knight was Bastila Shan. Instead of killing Revan, she brought him to the Jedi council, they erased his memory and re-coded him with memories of a different life in the hopes that he could be brought back to the lightside and help the Jedi defeat the Sith Empire."

"Did it work?" Ezra asked as he leaned forward in anticipation of finally learning more about this mystery.

"Yes." Ahsoka explained. "Despite being a full grown adult, Revan, who once again knew himself as Jaden Montari, managed to become as powerful as he once was after only a few months of training. After being knighted by the Jedi council on Dantooine, Montari, Bastila, and a few other followers including a Mandalorian set out to find a way to destroy the Sith Empire. During this last ditch campaign, Montari remembered who he was, but he didn't turn back to the Sith. He still helped the Republic and the Jedi destroy the Sith Empire which he eventually succeeded in doing."

"After the Republic was secure once more. Montari and Bastila Shan left the Jedi Order. They still helped maintain peace in the galaxy and protected others but they didn't adhere to the jedi code. There were rumors that they had developed their own order and that Bastila and Montari fell in love but there is no proof of that as the two former Jedi eventually disappeared from the galaxy all together."

"So Bastila and Revan aren't Sith or Jedi?" Ezra asked, his mind reeling at the thought of how turbulent Revan's life was and what that could mean for him.

"When they were last seen alive, yes. They were something else." Ahsoka answered plainly.

"And what does this all have to do with me? They just left when I saw them last, Bastila spoke but it was only a sentence."

"I don't know, Ezra." Ahsoka answered sincerely with a heavy sigh "I didn't even know force ghosts were real until this." She said with a shake of her head. Ezra could finally see that wherever they were going wasn't the only thing Ahsoka was worried about. She was worried about him as well. "They were believed to exist in theory but no Jedi had ever actually seen one before. In order for one to be seen it was believed that the dead force user would have to become one with the force and even then the person they try and reach out to must be very attuned with the force. Perhaps that's why you only saw them for a moment on Dantooine but they were able to actually connect and speak with you briefly on Kashyyyk. Your powers are still growing, Ezra, and this new ability you told me of, being able to understand all languages is a testament to that."

"So that's a force ability?" Ezra asked.

"It's a very rare gift. All jedi are talented at learning languages but the ability to just understand them is a gift that very few jedi have ever demonstrated." Ahsoka's lips turned up into a thin smile but were in conflict with the worry still plaguing her blue eyes.

"You're growing stronger, Ezra. And as you grow stronger, Revan and Bastila's ability to connect with you will grow as well."

"Good." Ezra remarked as he leaned back into his chair with a heavy sigh. He rubbed his eyes with his hands, realizing how tired he actually was. Not just physically, but also mentally of everything with Revan and Bastila. Whatever their problems were, he didn't see how or why it had to involve him.

"Promise me you'll be careful, Ezra." Ahsoka pleaded getting the younger man's attention, her voice was once again demonstrating more of the same fear she had shown earlier. "Revan and Bastila both are responsible for the deaths of billions of people. Regardless of how they ended up being known by the galaxy, they are still very dangerous, even if they are dead."

"Okay." Ezra relented. "I promise." He meant it but that didn't mean he wasn't suspicious of Ahsoka's behavior, there was something she wasn't telling him.

A sudden lurch of motion in the Phantom alerted the two rebels to the ship leaving hyperspace. Ahsoka practically jumped out of her seat and back into the pilot seat.

"Where are we?" Ezra asked as he took in the sight before him. A small barren planet with sand storms so large they could be seen from space slowly crawling along the surface.

"Thabeska." Ahsoka said. Ezra watched as her hands deftly handled the navigation controls of the Phantom bringing them ever closer to the planet.

"I've never heard of it." Ezra remarked.

"Most people haven't. That's why I hid here after the Jedi purge. Before I joined the Rebellion, I worked for the Fardi clan, a kind family who runs some legal and not so legal transportation businesses through the planet." Ahsoka explained, the Phantom shook slightly as they entered the atmosphere of the planet.

"So why come back?" Ezra asked.

"One of the daughters. Hedala Fardi." Ahsoka explained, Ezra saw her try to hide the distress in her body as she brought back memories. "She's only a few years older than you. More importantly, she's a force sensitive. I told her to hide her abilities before I left and for years I've always known she was safe but just before I came to get you I felt something in the force. Something that told me she was in great danger."

Ezra placed his hand on Ahsoka's shoulder hoping he could comfort his nervous friend. "Whatever it is, Ahsoka. I'm here to help." he said. Ahsoka looked back up to him from her seat with a surprisingly calmer look in her eyes.

"Thank you, Ezra." She said softly. The Togruta turned back away and brought the Phantom down just in front of a large rocky ridge that went on for about a hundred yards in each direction before curving away from them.

The two jedi quickly readied their weapons. Ezra holstered his blaster pistol and clipped his lightsaber to his belt. The door to the Phantom opened allowing a harsh stinging wind to hit them in the face.

"Why doesn't anybody ever hang out on a nice planet?" Ezra said, raising his voice a little to talk over the wind. "Just one planet where the locals, animals, or planet isn't trying to kill us is all I'm asking for!"

"Come on!" Ahsoka let out a nervous laugh in response to his joke. She ran out of the ship and Ezra followed.

* * *

Kanan felt sweat on his brow as beads dripped down behind his ear onto his neck. He also felt the displacement of the air and heard the movement of the stick. More importantly, he saw the movement of Bendu. The blind Jedi raised his own staff to block the attack then spun on his heel and retaliated with two rapid swings and a jab of his own. The first was dodged, the second blocked but the jab impacted on his teacher's shin. As always the mysterious creature, Kanan still didn't know what it truly was, gave no quarter and not even a reaction to the hit. It was as if Bendu didn't even feel pain. Or maybe it felt so much that a staff was trivial.

Kanan felt Bendu relent in the force, indicating that the sparring match was over.

"You have learned well, Kanan Jarrus, Jedi Knight."

"Thank you." Kanan replied with a heavy breath. That sparring match wasn't close to the first of the day and it had gone on for nearly half an hour.

"But you still have much more to learn." Bendu said. Kanan felt himself raise an eyebrow in response out of habit. Sensing the Jedi's curiosity, Bendu spoke again. "You are able to reach out with the force and see through it, you are able to reach out with the force and see and feel others at great distances, and you are able to fight although you are blind. But you failed to do all three at the same time."

"What are you talking abou-" Kanan stopped himself as he realized what Bendu had meant. He wasn't tending his connection with Ezra and the others, and if Bendu called him out on it, then that meant something was wrong. A pang of fear struck Kanan in the heart.

 _Calm yourself, Kanan. Don't be afraid._ Fear is the path to the dark side he told himself. He came here to fight that fear, not feed it, so that he and Ahsoka could protect Ezra when the time came. He only hoped that the time wasn't now. Kanan took a deep breath and went to his knees. He placed his staff down in front of him and placed his palms on his thighs. He bowed his head and closed his blind eyes out of habit. With ease, Kanan found the familiar signature he searched for, it was easy to find Ezra after forming such a strong bond with him.

He was relieved to see that Ezra wasn't hurt but was instantly worried by what he felt next. Impending danger, not just for him, but for the person he was with.

 _Ahsoka._ Kanan realized.

"Ezra and Ahsoka are in danger!" Kanan remarked.

"Just them?" Bendu asked cryptically. Kanan silently cursed at the creature realizing that he was using Kanan's loved ones as a lesson.

 _Hera._ Kanan realized, she was the only other one he knew how to find quickly. He focused harder and went deeper into the force, his body shaking aggressively from the stress as he found the Twi'lek pilot. She was on Atollon, safe. Like Ezra, and Ahsoka though she would be headed into the same exact trouble, only the threat felt more distant in time.

"I have to go." Kanan said instantly severing the connection in the force, it was all he needed to see. Something dark was coming for the ones he loved, and he was nowhere near them. Regardless of whether or not he was afraid, or angry, or if he was even ready, he knew he had to be there. The Jedi turned towards the path that would lead him down to his ship and droid, he pressed his comm-link about to tell R2-KT to ready the ship but was interrupted by the commlink being pulled from his hand.

"Hey!" Kanan yelled at Bendu as he heard the commlink land in the creatures hand and be crushed. Bendu had shifted back into what Kanan only assumed was its regular form. A large stone like creature well over ten times his size.

"You won't get to them in time." Bendu explained in a much louder booming voice that echoed across the land.

"I have to try! I can't just sit here and do nothing!" Kanan yelled in frustration.

"Don't do nothing." Bendu explained.

"Then what?!" Kanan yelled throwing his hands up angrily. He felt Bendu step back then look down as a warm aura encapsulated the clearing the two force user occupied. Then something Kanan thought would never happen happened. He saw somebody. Everything around him was the same, he could see auras of every living thing just as he could with Bendu, but the woman that appeared between him and Bendu looked entirely real to him as if he was looking at her with his own eyes. She had blue eyes with dark brown hair that was pulled back with strands hanging loose and framing the sharp features of her jaw and nose.

"Help them through the force." The woman said calmly.

* * *

A piercing scream echoed over the rocky ridge as Ezra and Ahsoka climbed it carefully. The two shared a knowing look and crested the ridge slowly together. On the other side was a small man-made canyon with a large compound nested inside. There were a few large buildings around the border, some of them looking like homes and others more like equipment sheds. The rest of the canyon was filled with landing pads and multiple ships. Ezra didn't know much about ships or wealth, but he knew that the Fardi clan had to be pretty wealthy to field a compound and a fleet of freighters like the one he was looking at.

Another scream much sharper than the last pierced the eerie silence of the compound. Ezra saw a woman run from one of the smaller buildings, likely a housing unit for employees. Before the woman was even a few yards out the door an armed man followed, raised his weapon and fired, she instantly fell when the shot hit her directly in the back.

"What are mercenaries doing here?" Ezra asked. The shooter had a large symbol on his chest armor but Ezra didn't recognize it.

"I don't know." Ahsoka explained. She rolled over the ridge which Ezra quickly followed. The two dropped down into the canyon with ease, relying on the force to break their fall despite the height. "I can feel Hadela though, I think she's in the Fardi house." Ahsoka whispered as they took cover behind some shipping crates.

"Okay." Ezra said. "Let's go get her."

Ahsoka nodded confidently in response and silently led Ezra through the compound to the largest house in the canyon.

"There's something else in there." Ezra warned Ahsoka as they approached the rear entrance to the house. There was something dark in the house, something filled with anger, but also patience and expectation as if it was readying itself for something exciting.

"I feel it too. Be ready." Ahsoka ordered as she unclipped and readied her lightsabers. Ezra pulled his own saber and prepared for a fight.

Ahsoka opened the door and stepped into the home with Ezra right on her heels. Both stopped dead in their tracks as soon as they stepped inside. The first floor was mostly open, a small room off to their right that looked like a kitchen and stairs beyond it leading up. The rest of the floor was what Ezra could only assume was a living room. On the other side of said living room were four dark skinned humans all lined up on their knees. Between the helpless prisoners and the Jedi was a tall, slender woman with dark complexion and jet black hair that was pulled back in a tight ponytail. She wore an all black thin jumpsuit indicating that she was highly athletic. Ezra immediately recognized the weapon in her hand, a lightsaber.

"Hedala." Ezra heard Ahsoka barely whisper.

 _Wait. If that's Hedala then that's her family._ Ezra realized what was happening. Hedala was in danger, she was in danger from Ezra and Ahsoka.

"Hello again, Ashla." Hedala said in a strangely beautiful accent.

"Ashla?" Ezra began to ask but was interrupted by too much all in one moment. Hedala activated her saber, a blood red light emanating from it as she deftly spun on her heel and swung it in a line across the necks of all four of her family members.

"NO!" Ahsoka screamed in a fit of pure horror as all four decapitated bodies slumped to the floor. Adrenaline instantly kicked in for Ezra at seeing the innocents murdered so brutally. Ahsoka didn't have the same benefit. Hedala took advantage of Ahsoka's shock and lunged towards the stunned Jedi.

"Ahsoka!" Ezra activated his saber and shoved Ahsoka aside using the strength of his cybernetic arm throwing her down to the ground but at the very least to temporary safety. With his activated saber, Ezra just managed to block Hedala's attack. Instead of taking the brunt of the force he angled his saber and sidestepped so that her blade slid off of his as she stumbled past.

 _Not fully trained. Her footwork is bad._ Ezra noted as she poorly recovered from her tumble, swinging behind her blindly. Instead of pressing his attack, Ezra stepped between Hedala and Ahsoka again.

 _Come on Ahsoka. Get up._ His thoughts were interrupted by the sight of four sets of feet running down the stairs, more mercenaries. Acting as quickly as he could as soon as Ahsoka stood, Ezra grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her behind a table that was already flipped over. Another three came out of the kitchen and all began to open fire. Ezra deflected a few bolts rapidly then dove behind the table as well.

"Ahsoka!" Ezra grabbed her by the shoulders again and shook her. She only blankly stared back at him, her eyes wide with fear as tears welled up in her eyes and her body shook violently. "Damnit!"

"Hold your fire! They're mine!" Ezra heard Hedala scream over the din of blaster fire that roiled over his head. The firing instantly stopped followed by footsteps. Ezra knew at that moment there was no fighting his way out of this, not with Ahsoka in the state she was in. So he made a plan for doing the one thing he knew he was best at.

Run and hide.

Ezra clipped his lightsaber to his belt and stood up from the table with open palms. With as much might in the force as he could muster he let out a warcry and threw his hands forward. Every mercenary and the unsuspecting Hedala were thrown off of their feet onto the walls behind them. Without a moment's hesitation and in one swift movement he pulled his pistol from its holster and fired at one of the glass windows to the outside.

"Ahsoka let's go!" Ezra summoned the most intimidating voice he could as he grabbed Ahsoka with his cybernetic arm and yanked her off of the floor and towards the window. As soon as she was on her feet, he pushed her forwards with his hand, effectively throwing her over the window sill and outside. He knew he was being rough and probably hurt her more than once in the past few seconds, but it was better than her getting killed.

A blaster bolt grazed the front of Ezra's forehead barely missing him as it hit the wall beyond him. He turned to see most of the soldiers as well as Hedala beginning to recover from being thrown like ragdolls. Hedala looked at him with a ferocity and hatred that could easily be believed to kill as she re-activated her saber. Ezra pulled a small device from the back of his belt and threw it, he closed his eyes and covered his ears. The device detonated on impact with a deafening roar and flash of light so bright that Ezra could see it through his closed eyelids.

 _Thanks Sabine._ Ezra smiled at the realization of how effective the Mandalorian's expertly made flashbang actually was. Now that his enemies were blinded, it was time to go.

"See ya later!" Ezra yelled. He jumped out the window as the temporarily blind soldiers opened fire on him with terrible accuracy.

Ahsoka was now on her feet, much to Ezra's relief. Four small starfighters flew directly overhead causing Ezra to instinctively duck for cover. They didn't fire but he had no doubt they spotted that they were with the same Mercenaries.

"We need a place to hide, Ahsoka! Now!" Ezra yelled.

"Right." Ahsoka said with a tone deaf voice and shook her head as if trying to wake up from a deep slumber. "Follow me." She took off in a sprint towards the edge of the canyon, Ezra hastily followed keeping a lookout for any more attackers as they ran.

As they moved, he grabbed his commlink and pressed the same button on it four times in a particular pattern. He hated the idea of using the SOS and calling anybody in for help. They were rebels, they joined to fight the Empire not some insane paramilitary group, but it was the only choice he had. The starfighters would be able to destroy any ship before it even took off and there was no way of knowing how many mercs on the ground were searching for them. Until help arrived, Ahsoka and Ezra were trapped.

* * *

"Ezra sent an SOS and we're all that's going?" Sabine raised her voice as she spoke.

"Chop I need that hyperdrive primed for as soon as we get out of atmo." Chopper beeped in a groaning protest as Hera ordered him again. "And the jump better be calculated by then too!" The Twi'lek pilot looked to Sabine who paced angrily behind her, an equally fierce look on her face.

"I'm just as unhappy about it as you are but Phoenix Squadron is stretched thin so it's just us." Hera said as she powered up the Ghost without even looking at the controls. "Now quit complaining and go make sure the weapon systems are up and running or Ezra won't be getting any help at all." Hera ordered with such ferocity that Sabine instantly did as she was told, there was no point in arguing with Hera, especially when she was right.

"Rex I want you on the dorsal turret. Zeb I'm dropping you off with Sabine as soon as we can land." Sabine heard Hera order over the comms as she went to do her work. The Mandalorian found some comfort in the distraction of the work, it kept her mind off of a far too intense worry for Ezra that she couldn't seem to shake. They had been in situations like this before, but it had never bothered her this much. Unfortunately, she knew exactly why it bothered her now which only made the situation worse.

* * *

Two fighters slowly glided above and across the canyon, the other two were currently nowhere to be seen. At least twenty mercenaries combed through the compound, slowly searching each building and ship on the landing pads. One of which was now the Phantom, which had been brought down by one of the mercenaries. Evidently, they had no interest in blowing up the ship that Ezra and Ahsoka came on. Ezra could only deduce that they needed the ship for some reason if they didn't opt to immediately destroy it.

The two jedi sat across from each other inside a small alcove halfway up the canyon wall. It was a small narrow hole at the surface that could barely be seen from above or below but opened up into a cavern large enough to hold two or three people.

 _Ahsoka did say the Fardi are smugglers._

Thinking of the Fardi, Ezra realized that he hadn't seen Hadela at all since they hid nearly an hour ago. In that time Ahsoka also hadn't said a single word which only made Ezra worry about their situation more.

"I'm sorry, Ezra." Ahsoka barely whispered. Ezra turned away from the cave entrance and back to Ahsoka. He wanted to be angry at her, to yell at her for losing her composure and nearly getting them killed but he knew she didn't need that right now. She needed a friend.

"What are you sorry for?" Ezra asked calmly. She didn't get him or herself hurt or killed, there was nothing to apologize for.

"I led us into a trap." Ahsoka said, her voice so weak it was barely a whimper. "Hadela was waiting for us. I should have known something was wrong, that she was different but I was just so worried and scared that she was in danger and that I did nothing."

"Of course you did something. We came here to this awful planet to try and save her didn't we?" Ezra tried to reason with her.

"No." Ahsoka answered. "I didn't do anything when I first met her, when she was just a child. I knew the Inquisitors were looking for force sensitives. I knew that her power would grow and she could become dangerous or be in danger." A tear streamed down Ahsoka's face as she spoke. "But I did nothing, Ezra. I joined the rebellion and buried myself in my work. If I had just taken her with me, I could have saved her and her family fro-"

"-Hey you had no way of knowing that was going to happen to her and clearly the Inquisitors didn't find her otherwise she would be with stormtroopers not some mercenary group." Ezra interrupted her as he gently placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "And if you took her in when the rebellion was just starting and started teaching her how to use the force you only would have put her in more danger. You did the right thing, Ahsoka. You didn't fail Hadela. She failed herself and her family by doing what she did." Ezra explained.

"But why did she do it?" Ahsoka asked. Ezra looked at her helplessly. That was something he didn't have an answer for. Static came over Ezra's commlink then a familiar voice.

"Ezra, do you copy?" Heras asked frantically. Ezra fumbled for his commlink and activated it.

"Hera! We're here." He answered with a sigh of relief, help had arrived.

"We just got out of hyperspace, coming to your location now. What's the situation?" The Twi'lek pilot asked.

"Mercenaries." Ezra explained. "They've got four starfighters in the air so be careful. About twenty soldiers on the ground and a force user."

"Copy that. I'll drop Zeb and Sabine off to give you backup and I'll deal with the starfighters."

"You got it Hera." Ezra answered before cutting the comm connection. Ahsoka stood next to him, both of them feeling a bit more confident now that they had backup. There was something else that Ezra couldn't quite explain but he knew Ahsoka felt it too. It was as if something in the back of his mind was pushing him forward, encouraging him with inspiration. Regardless of the inspiration's source, Ezra was willing to take advantage of it. He looked to Ahsoka with a calm but determined look in his eyes as he centered his mind.

"Let's go get some answers."

* * *

"Good, Kanan. You are doing well for being so far away from them."

 _I'm barely doing anything. You're the one doing all the heavy lifting._ He wanted to say out loud, he could barely even think the words though. His mind was so deep in the force, so far away from his body that he couldn't feel a single thing that his physical being touched. He could see and feel the presence of Ezra, Ahsoka, Hera, Sabine, Zeb, and even Rex, and he was doing what the woman had instructed him to do, to attempt to encourage them, to allow them to anticipate each others moves and tactics to fight better. Battle Meditation was what the woman had called it. Kanan knew the only reason he was succeeding in that was due to her assistance. He never learned about battle meditation in his training as a padawan and had no experience with it. But the woman was clearly a master at it.

Regardless of the miniscule effectiveness of the battle meditation due to the massive distance, even with the help of the woman, Kanan knew it was making a difference. He only hoped it would be enough.

* * *

Sabine and Zeb rappelled down into the canyon and put no effort from hiding themselves from the scrambling mercenaries as the Ghost flew overhead and shot one of the starfighters out of the sky. The Ghost was instantly out of sight again as it passed the other side of the canyon ridge with the three other fighters close on its tail, firing rapidly to try and break its shields.

"What the-" Sabine heard somebody from right next to her as she touched down on the bottom of the canyon. She turned just in time to side-step the butt of his rifle coming directly to her face. Acting on years of training, she took her advantage as her attacker missed and overextended. She brought her knee up into his gut then the butt of her own rifle down onto the back of his head when he doubled over her leg. Her rifle stock hit the back of his helmet with a satisfying crack and threw him down the ground face first. Without a second thought, Sabine raised her rifle back to her shoulder and shot the man in the back of his head.

"The Jedi are over there!" Sabine heard one of the mercenaries yell. She found the culprit immediately as he ran from cover about forty yards away towards more gunfire that she could hear across the compound. Sabine instantly raised her rifle, aimed, and squeezed the trigger. The blaster bolt hit the mercenary directly in the back killing him.

"Thanks for the help." Sabine looked to Zeb next to her, the Lasat hadn't made any move of action in the time that she had dispatched two mercenaries.

"You had it under control." He grumbled with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Whatever." Sabine brushed off the soldier's temporary indifference for the time being. They had a job to do.

"Ezra, do you copy?" Sabine spoke into her comms as her and Zeb started to make their way towards the sounds of combat in the distance.

" _A little busy at the moment!"_ Ezra yelled back over the comms. Sabine felt a wave of relief at hearing her friend's voice, even if it was accompanied with the familiar noises of lightsabers, blasters, and the occasional explosion.

"I can tell! Just tell us where you need us!" Sabine replied as a pang of pain shot through her stomach where her wound from Kashyyyk was.

" _We're backed up against the east wall. Just hit them from the west!"_

"You'll be in our line of fire for every shot we miss!" Sabine replied.

" _I'm counting on it!"_ Ezra answered. Sabine couldn't see him but could tell from the tone of his voice that he likely had an ear to ear grin on his face. She didn't know what he was planning but she did know that she trusted him and so Sabine and Zeb began to make their way around to hit their target from the west.

* * *

"Alright! We've got more incoming!" Ezra yelled to Ahsoka from his cover at the edge of the landing pad. Three more mercenaries had joined the band currently firing on the two jedi. It would only be a matter of seconds before they were surrounded. Right after he spoke, he immediately saw what he had been waiting for.

"She's here, Ahsoka." The young jedi said as a foreboding feeling crossed his heart. Hadela Fardi stepped out from behind a light freighter ship. She joined her mercenaries on their firing line, stepping forward with each step they took.

"You don't have to do this." Ezra said to Ahsoka. The older Jedi looked up to him from where she knelt. She wasn't shaking anymore, she didn't seem afraid, where there was only recently fear and shame in her eyes, Ezra saw vindication and determination.

"Yes I do." Ahsoka said firmly and with such tenacity that it intimidated even Ezra.

" _Backup's here!"_ Ezra's commlink crackled with Sabine's voice. He peaked out from cover to see a large portion of the mercenaries firing behind them at two figures on top of one of the freighters.

"Then now's your chance!" Ezra yelled to Ahsoka. The two jedi stood up and activated their lightsabers.

Without a care for caution, they charged forward deflecting laser bolts as they moved towards their targets. Ahsoka took off far ahead of Ezra and was headed directly for Hedala. Instead of holding her ground, Ezra saw that Hedala began to charge as well.

Ahsoka and Hedala jumped into each other with a flurry of blows, the former relying on pure rage to fuel her momentum. Ahsoka quickly rolled around the first few attacks to take back the offensive and put her opponent off balance. Ezra wanted nothing more than to help his friend in the fight, but instead he ran past them and kept moving towards the remaining mercenaries. If he didn't take them out they would be able to pick Ahsoka off with ease when she was preoccupied as such.

The young jedi picked his first target, the closest soldier aiming directly at him with another mercenary behind him who was firing at Zeb and Sabine.

Ezra spotted a missed shot from Zeb's bo-rifle flying directly where he was about to be. Instead of rolling Ezra swung his lightsaber towards it at just the right time. The lightning yellow shot deflected off of the green saber with ease and hit the soldier closest to Ezra in the shoulder. The merc stumbled back but stayed on his feet, he raised his rifle to fire at Ezra.

 _Crap._ He was too far away to reach him with his saber in time and too close to guarantee he could block it. Acting on instinct, Ezra drew his pistol with his left hand and fired from the hip while still running. The shot hit the soldier directly in the gut causing him to double over. Maintaining his momentum, Ezra rolled over the back of the wounded soldier and brought his saber up behind his back after landing on his feet. He felt the sword meet a small amount of resistance. Then the sound of a body falling to the ground. Keeping the motion of his saber, he brought his arm up above him in a windmill motion and directly down onto the distracted mercenary in front of him.

Just as before, on instinct, Ezra spun on his heel to dodge two more shots then duck under a third. He stood back to full height, blocked a fourth shot then fired his pistol at the shooter. The blaster bolt hit the soldier in the side of his head killing him instantly. He dove to cover just in time to dodge a hail of blaster fire from some of the remaining soldiers.

"Keep that jedi pinned and get a detonator up on that ship!" He heard one of them yell.

 _No._ Ezra's eyes widened in fear. Zeb and Sabine wouldn't be able to get away from a detonator in time. Despite the storm of blaster fire raining down on him. Ezra stood and inexplicably managed to block every shot, his arms moved faster than he ever knew he was capable of and he knew where each shot was going to land long before it was even fired. He saw one of the mercenaries pull out a detonator, activate it, and throw it. There was no stopping an explosion at that point, where it happened though, could still be changed.

Reaching out with the force, Ezra extended his free hand and reached out to the airborne detonator. He felt it in his mind and saw where he wanted it go instead. The detonator halted mid-air and instantly was repelled back to it's thrower. It detonated on impact with a deafening roar. The thrower and the two soldiers near him were instantly incinerated.

Ezra made a mistake though, his lack of focus on protecting himself allowed a blaster bolt to make it past his defenses. The shot bore through the shoulder of his saber arm like a spear of molten lava. Ezra stumbled back dropping his saber as his entire arm spasmed in response to the pain. He fell to his knees gripping his wound tightly with his hand. He knew better than to let his wound distract him though.

His sword arm was out for the count if he could barely control it. However, he still had his pistol and he still had the force. A sudden warning of danger overwhelmed Ezra's senses washing out the pain and giving him the motivation he needed to tuck into a roll just in time to dodge two more blaster shots. Looking up from his roll, he saw a soldier walking directly towards him and readying to fire again. Before the merc had the chance to squeeze the trigger or Ezra to even try and move, a red blaster hit the unsuspecting soldier directly in the side of the head causing his armored body to clang heavily as it hit the metal landing pad.

 _Thanks Sabine._ Ezra smiled and nodded in her direction as he jumped back to his feet. He could still see two more soldiers and both were aiming at Ahsoka who was still engaged with Hedala. They were both in cover between two stacks of what looked like food crates. Sabine and Zeb likely couldn't see them from their angle leaving only Ezra to handle them. He instantly started to run towards them.

Ezra raised his pistol and fired. The shot hit true, landing on the closer soldiers mid torso and taking him out of the fight. Ezra aimed at the second soldier and squeezed the trigger. Nothing happened. The gun didn't fire. The remaining soldier noticed Ezra and turned to aim.

Deciding his blaster wasn't worth holding onto, Ezra threw it at the soldier before he could fire. The blaster hit the merc directly in the faceplate of his helmet.

"What the-" The soldier yelled at the unusual attack but was interrupted by Ezra barreling into him at full speed. The two grappling bodies fell into the side of the crates. The soldier grabbed Ezra by the shoulders and reeled his head back before throwing it forward into Ezra's face. The helmet impacted Ezra's head, a deafening crack making him dizzy. Then Ezra felt the soldier dig his thumb into the wound on his shoulder.

Screaming in agony, Ezra stepped back but then reminded himself not to just back off because of pain. He had to stay close to the soldier so that he wouldn't be able to raise his rifle on him. Despite the pain, Ezra pushed his body forward then reached up with his cybernetic arm. He felt the heavy metal fingers make contact with the unarmored neck of his opponent. Then, all he needed to do was squeeze.

The soldier instantly gasped as Ezra forcefully closed his windpipes with his hand. The soldier's hands pulled away from Ezra's shoulder and made a futile attempt to pry away Ezra's fingers. Ezra lifted the soldier up with ease then threw him into the crates behind him. The soldier fell to his knees. Ezra picked him back up again then smashed him into the crates again. He felt the soldier's resistance weaken with each hit. Then right before Ezra knew he would run out of air, he threw the soldier with as much strength as he could.

The breathless and nearly unconscious merc tumbled across the landing pad for a few meters before his limp body came to a halt.

"Karabast kid." Ezra heard Zeb say. Ezra noticed the two rebels standing just a few meters away from where he was. Zeb looked at him with a combination of admiration and fear at the display of strength he just witnessed.

"Looks like you don't have a monopoly on throwing humans around anymore, big guy." Sabine joked with a nudge at Zeb's side.

"We need to help Ahsoka." Ezra ignored Sabine's joke. He would have laughed if he wasn't in as much pain as he was in and if he wasn't worried about Ahsoka.

"She looks like she's got things under control." Zeb said with a nod in the older jedi's direction. Ezra looked and saw for himself. Ahsoka was standing over a disarmed and kneeling Hedala and had her lightsabers crossed in front of the latter's neck so that the tip of each was on either side. He had no doubt in his mind of what Ahsoka was about to do.

"Zeb, get binders on him in case we need to question him." Ezra pointed towards the mercenary he had just manhandled. He started off into a jog towards Hedala and Ahsoka hoping to stop his friend from doing something she would regret. He felt Sabine follow him.

"Ahh, Ezra Bridger." Hedala said as Ezra approached. He and Sabine both stopped dead in their tracks at realizing that she knew his name. "I was hoping at the very least that you would die in all of this." She said with a surprising amount of spite.

"How do you know who I am?" Ezra asked cautiously. Hedala erupted into laughter at Ezra's question.

"How could I not?" She asked in a sing songy voice. "You're all my master talks about. His prized apprentice." Ezra felt a pit form in his throat and a familiar rage bubble up in his chest.

"Maul." Ezra growled.

"Why would you join Maul? Why kill your family? You loved them!" Ahsoka's voice cracked as she yelled at Hedala.

"They were a weakness!" Hedala spat back venomously. "Maul took me from my home barely a year after you left! He taught me how to be stronger! How to use my power rather than hide it like you told me to!"

"I was trying to protect you!" Ahsoka yelled back. Her hands began to shake, the sabers shifting even closer to Hedalas neck. Ezra stepped forward but stopped himself before interfering. This wasn't a matter he had a voice in. Whatever Ahsoka did, he told himself he would be there for her.

"And look how that worked out!" Hedala said. "Now you're the one who is going to have to kill me. Or forgive me or whatever it is you snivelling Jedi do."

Ezra saw a look of uncertainty in Ahsoka's eyes, her sabers drifted apart for a moment.

"You killed your father." He heard Ahsoka say shakily at first. "You killed your mother." Her voice became steadier and was backed by vindication. "You killed your two sisters, Chenna and Makala." Ahsoka's voice softened again at saying the names of the two girls, it was evident that she had grown to care for the girls in the time that she knew them.

"What you did…" Ahsoka's eyes narrowed as her voice turned into the closest thing to a growl "Is unforgivable," Ezra saw her grip on her sabers tighten. "And I'm no Jedi." Hedala's eyes widened in fear.

In one sudden and smooth motion, Ahsoka closed the gap between the hilts of her sabers. The blades closed on Hedala's neck like a pair of scissors ending her life instantly. Her body crumpled to the floor as her head rolled off of her neck. Her lifeless yellow tinged eyes looked up at Ezra, the same fearful look on them.

Ahsoka brushed past Ezra and walked away without a word. Both Ezra and Sabine watched in shock as the Togruta woman silently walked back towards the Fardi house.

"Ahsoka." Ezra reached out to her. He couldn't even begin to fathom what was going through her mind or what had happened to her. To say he never imagined Ahsoka doing what she had just done would have never crossed his mind in a million years was an understatement.

"I'm going to bury them." Ahsoka stated. "Get answers from him." She pointed at the prisoner Zeb now had at gunpoint as she walked by. "I'll see you back on the ship."

Ezra exchanged a glance with Sabine who looked to him for answers. She was even more confused as to what was going on than Ezra was.

"I'll explain later." Ezra said. He looked at the prisoner Zeb had and briefly made eye contact. The young jedi had his own problems with anger for Maul to deal with. And he knew that if Hedala served Maul then it's likely the merc did too which meant he was going to talk or wish that he did.

* * *

Hera sat alone in the cockpit of the Ghost, watching open space before her as Chopper piloted the ship into position for the next jump. Zeb and Rex were in the cargo hold working over their new prisoner. Sabine was resting in her room and would be for some time if Hera had her way, as soon as the girl had made it back onto the ship she collapsed from exhaustion. After taking her armor off, it was revealed that her wound from Kashyyyk hadn't fully healed and had started to bleed again during the fight. Ezra was likely with Ahsoka trying to talk to her. The poor woman hadn't said a word since returning from burying the bodies.

 _And all of this happened because of Maul._ Hera rubbed the bridge of her nose and leaned back in her chair as she replayed everything Ezra told her upon getting back to the ship. She would be doing the piloting herself but she wanted to take some time to think. It had only been an hour since Thabeska and there was a lot for her to process. There was a new threat in the galaxy. Hera had never met Maul but she had to assume that if he had been training the woman since she was a little girl then he had a plan, and taking out the Fardi smuggling operation was part of it.

 _Maybe he wanted to take over the smuggling operation. Use it to gain power and money. How else could he have paid for those Mercs? Has he taken over other operations in the galaxy?_ Hera hypothesized and theorized multiple other scenarios, trying to think of any explanation she could as well as think of solutions and potential problems. There were too many unknown variables with Maul and she currently had no way of revealing them.

Her train of thought was derailed by the door to the cockpit opening. She turned to see Ezra at the door. He had a bandage wrapped around his shoulder from the blaster shot he had taken in battle.

"Hey, Ez." She said warmly upon noticing how distressed and tired he looked. "Come have a seat." She said to him trying to be as welcoming as possible. Aside from him giving her the rundown on what happened on the ground, the two hadn't really talked ever since he woke up after Dantooine.

Ezra silently and immediately complied with her request and sat down in the chair next to her, the one Kanan usually sat in. Despite not being related at all, Hera couldn't help but see so much of Kanan in Ezra. In the way the boy moved, the way he watched everything so carefully and calmly taking in every bit of information but not offering any information in return. It wasn't much of a surprise considering how big of a part Kanan played in helping raise Ezra the past three years.

"Can't sleep? I figured you would be exhausted." Hera asked in an attempt to get the young man talking. Ezra simply shook his head in response. Hera relented and gave him some time, he did come to her after all. He would talk when he was ready.

"I'm sorry." Ezra finally blurted out as he stared out into space through the viewport.

"For what?" Hera raised her eyebrow. Ezra tore his eyes from the open space and looked at her with tears in his eyes.

"For pushing you all away the way I did." He said as he pushed through a few cracks in his voice. "I thought that being close to the people I loved made me weak. But then I saw what happened to Hadela. I watched her execute her family in cold blood, Hera. And she did it because she thought they were a weakness." He choked on a sob and brought his hand up to his mouth as he cried.

Hera felt tears in her own eyes upon realizing how truly scarring what Ezra had just seen was. To witness something so brutally cold and heartless, Hera could only imagine how jarring that would be to the psyche. She stood up from her seat and immediately enveloped Ezra in a hug.

"I don't want to become like her." Ezra said between muffled breaths.

"You won't Ezra." Hera gently placed her hand on the side of his head and knelt down so she was eye to eye with him. "We won't ever let that happen to you. I promise." She said as she ran her fingers through his hair gently. "And for the record you never needed to apologize." She brought him back in for a hug and squeezed him tightly. "I'm just glad you're finally home."

"Me too." Ezra said through a sniffle.

"It'll be okay, Ezra." Hera reassured him again.

"It's just all so much. I can't get it all out of my head." Ezra said with a whimper. Hera paused and thought for a moment as she considered ways to help him. After a moment she decided on showing Ezra a long kept secret of hers. Something she only ever did by herself.

"Come on." She stepped back from Ezra and nodded for him to follow her. "I want to show you something that helps me alot when I want to clear my mind."

She took Ezra out towards the starboard airlock of the ship and opened the large wall locker. Inside were five enviro-suits. She took one out and handed it to Ezra then immediately started putting one on herself.

"Don't say anything. Just put it on." Hera commanded Ezra preemptively before he could voice any concerns. Thankfully, Ezra did as he was told and remained silent. After a few minutes the two were both successfully in their suits.

"Chopper." Hera called over the comms then entered a number of digits into a console next to the airlock. "Bring us around to these coordinates then park her for a while. We'll make the jump later."

She opened the first door to the airlock then beckoned Ezra inside.

"Activate your mag-boots." She said as she activated her own. Once inside she hit the proper commands on the console inside depressurizing the airlock. Once it was depressurized, the outer door of the airlock opened revealing open space.

Just as comfortable without gravity as she was with it, Hera steadily walked out of the airlock and stepped onto the hull then walked up on top of the Ghost, every few steps she would check to make sure Ezra was alright and keeping up.

As soon as they crested the side of the Ghost and came on top, Hera and Ezra were shown the most beautiful sight either of them had ever seen.

"Whoa." Ezra commented almost silently, bringing a smile to Hera's face at the sight of his childish awe.

"It's something else isn't it?" Hera asked rhetorically as she took in the sights of the massive purple blue nebula in front of them. It was utterly magnificent even to Hera who had seen more nebulae and star clusters than she cared to even count.

Hera activated her mag gloves on her suit, bent her knees then planted her hands behind her so that she could sit on the hull of the ship. Ezra followed suit and sat next to her, his eyes never leaving the sight before him as they took in the sight of billions of stars.

Hera deactivated one of her gloves and pointed towards a particularly bright star far off to their right and beyond the nebula. "That one right there is Lothals sun." she told him. Hera watched Ezra look at the star fondly, his eyes filled with a sense of wonder she hadn't seen in him in a long time. It was working. For the first time since she had known Ezra, he looked to be almost entirely care free, maybe even happy, if only temporarily. To see somebody she looked at like a son in such a mood brought her a warm sense of joy that she couldn't even begin to put into words.

"Tell me more about the stars." Ezra asked. Hera smiled at hearing the question she never knew she wanted to hear. She immediately looked back to the stars scanning the display before them for what she wanted to teach him about next.

The two stayed there for another hour. Ezra happily listening to everything Hera had to say about every star system and planet she had visited in her time. For once, even if only for a short time, Ezra and Hera were carefree. There wasn't even a fleeting thought about the Empire or Maul. Just two friends, family even, enjoying each other's company and helping each other through a tough time.

* * *

"It worked." Kanan panted through strained, painful breaths. He had nearly killed himself with how much effort he had put into helping his family.

"You did well, Kanan." The woman said. "Now I must go. Listen carefully to what Bendu has to teach you. It taught us more about the force in days than we learned in years from the Jedi."

"Wait...who's 'us'? Who even are you? What do you want?" He said as he looked upon the woman who helped him. She smiled and chuckled.

"So many questions." She said. "I am Bastila Shan." The woman answered with a proper bow. "And I only want to help young Ezra just as you do." With that, she faded away into nothing.

"Bastila Shan…" The name was familiar to Kanan, a lesson from his childhood he believed. Then it came to him. Bastila Shan of the Mandalorian war and Jedi Civil War. She was real and he just talked to her despite her dying thousands years ago. Kanan's mind reeled with questions, the largest of those constantly repeating in his head.

 _What does Bastila Shan have to do with Ezra?_

* * *

Ezra sat down in the chair of his desk with a heavy sigh. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, to say he was exhausted was a massive understatement. But he knew he couldn't sleep. It had been four hours since they returned to Atollon, Ahsoka hadn't said a heard but he assumed she would still want to meet in the morning for training. He wanted to sleep but found himself once again thinking of the Fardi family. Not just what Hadela did but what Ahsoka did as well, but he didn't blame Ahsoka. If he was in the same situation he was pretty sure he might do the same thing. It was just hard to contemplate that Ahsoka was capable of such a thing.

 _Damnit I don't want to think about it anymore._ Ezra quickly decided that he needed to distract himself. He noticed his datapad with all of the info on Bastila and Revan was still on his desk where he left it.

 _Reading it is then._ Ezra picked up the datapad with his uninjured arm and activated it.

Before he could begin reading the door to his quarters slid open.

"Figured you'd still be awake." Ezra was surprised to hear Sabine's voice, she was supposed to still be on bedrest to help recover from her injuries on Kashyyyk. She stepped into the room and flicked the light switch. She wasn't wearing any of her armor, just her pants and long sleeve black and grey shirt with combat boots. It was immediately obvious to Ezra that she had simply just escaped from the med-bay which didn't surprise him at all. Ever since they had first met, Sabine had never been able to sit still or do nothing all day, it just wasn't in her nature.

"Figured you'd be resting." Ezra jabbed back, just because he knew she hated bed rest didn't mean he couldn't tease her for it.

"Yeah well I was hoping you'd come jailbreak me seeing as I saved your ass earlier today." She replied with a small smirk as she leaned against the doorway and crossed her arms. "You are pretty good at jailbreaks after all." She jested.

"What, and risk the wrath of Hera?" Ezra asked rhetorically as he closed the datapad and threw it onto his desk. "Sorry Sabine, I'd prefer not to die today. Besides, she's right. You should be resting." Ezra said plainly trying his best to sympathize with her, he hated being out of commission just as much as her, but he also knew how important it was for her to recover fully.

Sabine groaned. "Not you too." Ezra simply shrugged innocently in response. He knew she wouldn't listen to reason so he didn't push the issue any further.

"So you escape the med-bay and you come to an even smaller, more depressing room?" Ezra asked as he gestured with open hands towards their surroundings, the room was half the size of his and Zeb's quarters on the Ghost. The only furniture was the desk, its chair, and the bed.

"Mind if I sit?" Sabine asked before answering his question. She stepped out of the doorway, letting the door close behind her and sat on the edge of Ezra's bed facing him.

"I'm a little tapped out on excitement after today, I just need somebody to talk to who isn't a medical droid."

"I suppose I qualify then." Ezra remarked. He raised his cybernetic hand up and waved it at Sabine. "Though I am part droid." He said with a fake smile. He tried his best to push it off as humor but a part of him was still ashamed of his cybernetic enhancement, in his eyes it was a public display of a failure.

Sabine saw through his charade instantly. "You're still you, Ezra." She said softly, her eyes showing a fondness that he had never seen before, he averted his gaze upon realizing how the look made his cheeks blush.

"Yeah but this isn't me." He replied somberly gesturing with his hand toward the cybernetic arm. He looked up at Sabine to see her brow furrowed the way it always did when she was trying to think of a solution to a problem, another thing that he couldn't help but adore about her. In those moments, gone was the fierce warrior Sabine Wren, replaced by a seemingly normal person just trying to figure something out. After a moment her eyes lit up in excitement, a broad and contagious smile illuminated her face making Ezra immediately smile in response without even knowing the cause.

"I got it!" She exclaimed as she jumped onto her feet. Ezra didn't even have time to speak before she was walking out of the door. "Be right back!" The door closed behind her leaving Ezra alone and confused.

"...Okay" Ezra said to himself. He looked back to where Sabine had been sitting only a few seconds prior then to the door, silently calculating how she had managed to move that fast. He couldn't recall a single instance in which he had ever seen her this excited.

He waited patiently for a few minutes, doing some stretches as the time went by. He looked at the time and cursed under his breath realizing that it was already three hours into the morning.

 _No wonder Sabine came to me, everybody else is definitely asleep at this point._ Ezra said to himself. Now that he thought about it, he realized how incredibly tired he was. He briefly considered just telling Sabine he needed to get some rest but opted against it. The two had spent most of their time together since returning from Kashyyyk. He couldn't explain what, but something was different with her lately. She still teased him, made jokes at his expense, and was very distant at times but she felt different to him in the force. He couldn't put the feeling into words other than to say that she felt warmer and calmer whenever she was with him, and he felt the same way. And quite frankly, Ezra needed that more than sleep after what happened on Thabeska.

The door to his quarters slid open again, Sabine briskly walked into the room closing the door behind her as she dropped a number of canisters and tools onto Ezra's desk. Without a word she gently brushed by him, grabbed the corner of his bed and dragged it to the edge of the desk. She sat on the chair to the desk then looked at Ezra as if she was waiting for something.

"What?" Ezra asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well...sit." She said impatiently and nodded towards the bed.

 _Uhh...okay._ Ezra cautiously moved to the bed and sat down, looking at his Mandalorian friend apprehensively.

"Put your arm up on the desk and roll the sleeve all the way up to the shoulder." Sabine ordered as she fingered through her tools on the desk and organized them methodically. Ezra slowly put his arm up on the desk then rolled up the short sleeve on his shirt revealing the entirety of the cybernetic arm.

"Mind telling me what we're doing?" Ezra asked. Sabine sighed in frustration as an artist would when their streak of inspiration is interrupted by an unknowing fool.

"It doesn't feel like you because you haven't made it a part of you." She said as she pointed at her spray paint and other tools. "So we're going to make it feel like yours." She said with a smile as she looked at the spray paint fondly.

"Ohh…" Ezra said in realization. "I was worried you were just going to dismantle me and sell me for parts to be honest." Sabine laughed bringing music to Ezra's ears.

"No, I like you too much to not leave you in one piece." She teased. Ezra's mind stumbled on hearing her say that. He knew she meant she liked him casually, but a part of his mind and his heart still leaped in joy and threw him off entirely. As if noticing his reaction, Sabine instantly wiped the smile off of her face and looked back down at the tools, shifting them ever so slightly as if their exact placement meant life or death.

"So how do we make this arm feel more like mine?" Ezra asked trying to cut through the sudden and unspoken awkwardness.

"Easy." Sabine answered in a surprisingly chipper voice. She lifted up her spray paint gun and locked in a paint cartridge with a toothy grin. "We give it some color."

"Alright I'm trusting you on this one." Ezra teased.

"Come on. When have I ever let you down? You loved the helmets I painted for you." Sabine replied before turning his arm so she had access to his shoulder. "Just let me work my magic."

Ezra relented and let his mind wander as Sabine began painting. The steady spray of the gun was the only noise in the room as the Mandalorian worked. Ezra didn't dare try talking to her for fear of getting hit. He felt hours pass but never the need to sleep regardless of how tired he was. He was perfectly content with entertaining Sabine as she slowly worked her way down his arm. Every few minutes he would steal a glance, watching her as she focused so intently on her work. She bit her lower lip lightly and her brow was constantly furrowed, indicating that she was putting as much concentration into what she was doing as she would a life or death situation. Ezra forced himself to look away after finding himself admiring how beautiful she looked, particularly when she was painting. He could see in her eyes that she loved what she was doing and he could feel that every worry and every fear in her mind was gone when she engaged in her favorite pastime.

After another half hour or so of painting, Ezra felt the paint spraying on his arm stop and heard Sabine put the gun down on the desk.

"All done." She said with a sense of accomplishment ringing in her voice. Ezra stood up and turned so that his newly painted arm was facing the mirror on the wall opposite him. He couldn't help but be amazed at Sabine's work. It was more impressive than he ever could have imagined and somehow managed to immediately feel as if he was home.

At the shoulder was the familiar logo that was on the back of the jacket he use to wear. It was an exact match to the original in scale and its white color outlined with another white circle. At the bottom of the circle was a thick orange stripe that went all the way down the center of the arm to the elbow then to the beginning of the hand, the stripe wasn't solid orange though. Throughout it was a deeply intricate web of geometric patterns in black paint. On each side of the stripe was a white one to outline it. On the back of the hand was a single large white circle. He flipped the hand over to see a smaller white circle on his palm.

"Twin moons." Ezra said softly as he reminisced of nights spent watching the two moons in the night sky on Lothal. It had been so long since he had been home.

"So you always have a reminder of home." Sabine explained. Ezra felt tears well up in his eyes. It was a simple gift, something that wouldn't mean much to most, but to him it meant the world, quite literally.

"Thank you." Ezra said.

"No problem. Now I don't know about you but I could use some fresh air." Sabine said as she rounded up her supplies and packed them into a bag. "The ventilation in this room isn't very good and there's a lot of paint in the air right now."

Ezra checked the time again. He only had three hours before he had to meet Ahsoka. He was exhausted but he knew that at this point he wouldn't be able to get any sleep. "I'll come with you." Ezra decided.

They left Ezra's room behind. Ezra entirely forgot about his datapad and all of the reading he still had to do. He didn't have hundreds of questions running through his brain anymore, the only thing he had on his mind was Sabine. They didn't exchange words as they walked through Chopper base, just the occasional nod to some fellow rebels they knew. They passed a group of Wookiees who gave them a salute as they passed and a few Twi'leks and even a Lasat that somehow managed to look even scarier than Zeb.

Ezra and Sabine made it outside of the base after a few minutes. The night sky was still out but the sun would be out soon. Out of habit, Ezra immediately walked to the spot he and Ahsoka shared at the edge of the mesa. He immediately sat down with a heavy sigh. His eyelids almost immediately threatening to close as Sabine sat next to him then laid down on her back to look up at the sky. Ezra followed suit, laying his head down in the light coat of sand over the coral formation. The sky above them was perfectly clear, every star in his field of view was visible in the indigo sky. Despite what Hera had shown Ezra earlier this still managed to compete, he assumed it had to do with the company involved. Ezra cared for Hera deeply but Sabine was Sabine.

"It's beautiful." said Sabine. Ezra's eyelids felt like they gained a pound in weight forcing them to the point where his eyes were only open by a sliver.

"Yeah." Ezra replied. "It's a shame the sun's going to come and ruin it all." His eyes threatened to close again. "I love the night sky." He let his eyes close this time. Before he fell asleep he heard Sabine reply.

"I know."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading Chapter 9 everybody I hope you enjoyed! I struggled a lot with writing it but I think it ended up being my favorite chapter yet. For those who are Ahsoka purists. I'm sorry. I wanted to take a creative turn for her character and put her in the type of position where a former jedi would really struggle with the line between good and bad.**

 **Regarding reviews I'll just be answering a few questions that have repeatedly come up.**

 **Q: Will HK-47 show up?**

 **A: I honestly didn't have any plans for HK-47 showing up but I will look into adding him in if I can find a good way to insert him into the story. If I can't find a way then I'll totally consider writing a "Chopper and HK-47 kill the Star Wars Universe" fic**

 **Q: Is Ezra related to Revan?**

 **A: All Revan questions will be answered, just be patient.**

 **Q: When will Ezra start using the ancient Jedi armor from Dantooine?**

 **A: So soon. So so so very soon.**

 **Q: Will Mandalors mask, Revans mask, Mantle of the Force, or any other weapons or armor from KOTOR appear.**

 **A: I have plans for a fic involving Mandalors mask and it might appear in this fic but will not be a major plot point. Revans mask will obviously appear. Revans sabers, however, will not appear.**

 **And then just a simple response to a request for making a Gary the Stormtrooper cameo. I will make it happen. It'll be slightly subtle and likely not humorous but it'll happen. Keep your eyes peeled.**


	11. Curses and Gifts

Chapter 10: Curses and Gifts

" _Ezra!" Ahsoka's voice echoed throughout her own head._

 _She saw Ezra being carried away from her, his limp body illuminated in the ghastly green skies that tainted the moonlight. Then she saw him disappear into the rising storm as wailing winds nearly threw her off of her feet._

" _This is the end isn't it?" She heard Kanan say gently as her vision faded to black then brightened to reveal a different location._

 _Then she felt a presence, and another. She was in a city that looked familiar but was far too war torn to even count as habitable. Imperial Stormtroopers, Mandalorians, Wookiees, and Rebels all surrounded her. She saw Ezra again fighting fiercely in the thick of the battle, he was wearing the ancient jedi armor they had found on Dantooine but it was painted with a series of different symbols and patterns, at his back was Sabine, no doubt the creator of the art on his armor. Ahsoka had never seen either of them fight so fiercely. The streets echoed with screams of terror and pain as all out war tore through the city and as it grew louder, she saw Ezra and Sabine fight harder and harder, destroying everything and everyone that came at them._

" _You did well in your training of my apprentice. I thank you, Lady Tano." She heard Maul's malicious voice from behind her. She spun around to try and spot him but there was nothing but blackness again._

" _This is how it ends." She heard herself say._

" _I'm not just a lost boy anymore." Ezra said with conviction. Ahsoka couldn't see her friend but he felt close. Frantically Ahsoka ran through the darkness, seeing only herself and nothing else as she desperately searched for Ezra._

" _I know what I am, do you?" Ezra's voice didn't echo like the others. It felt like it was right in front of her._

 _An eerie green lightsaber ignited in front of her revealing Ezra to be holding it at his side. He walked closer to her, eyes wide with fury and appearing as if he was looking directly through her soul._

 _Ahsoka wanted to scream at what she noticed upon her only friend coming closer but she couldn't speak. The same eyes she she saw in what was left of Hedala, the sweet young girl she knew and failed years ago, she now saw in Ezra._

"No!" Ahsoka screamed herself awake sitting upright immediately from her bed as her heart pounded in her ears. She panted for air as if she had been holding her breath for a few minutes. The air in the room was freezing even though she was sweating profusely.

After a few seconds of breathing, Ahsoka swung her feet over the bed and onto the floor and sighed heavily as she placed her face in her hands and closed her eyes. She had been having that vision for months now and she still hadn't gotten used to it. It still woke her up in a cold sweat and screaming every single time.

With a few more deep breaths, Ahsoka tried to center herself as much as she could then got dressed. After getting dressed she was surprised to see that she actually had managed to get through the night and was supposed to meet Ezra for training in only a few minutes. A lot of the time, the vision came after only an hour or so of sleep leaving her with many of sleepless nights since Malachor.

She still didn't know what the vision meant. She did, however, know that she couldn't do nothing about it anymore. Ezra wasn't fully gone in the vision, Ahsoka had to believe that there was still hope for him, that he could be brought back. What she didn't know was how to save him from something she didn't even know the actual cause of so she decided to go back to one of the first lessons she ever remembered learning.

If you can't handle something on your own, get help.

* * *

"Sabine." a voice whispered pulling her from her dreams that her mind promptly forgot to focus on more important things, starting with figuring out where she was. She felt wind, the warmth of the sun, and somebody whose voice her tired brain couldn't identify was trying to wake her up.

Sabine opened her eyes at hearing her name again. Ahsoka knelt next to her, her orange skin almost glowed in the morning sun that fell on her. Behind her was a tightly packed backpack sitting on the ground.

 _Where am I?_ Sabine tried to recall the previous night's events as she looked around and tried to figure out how she got where she was, outside Chopper base laying on her back. She remembered painting Ezra's arm and not much after that. Some shuffling next to Sabine alerted her to somebody else's presence. Looking to her other side she saw Ezra sleeping just a foot away, on his side, facing her. His hand was extended out and on top of the back of her own hand that laid at her side.

.Sabine quickly pushed back her pleasure at the small touch to focus on the disturbance: Ahsoka. Something was wrong.

As gently as she could, she slid her hand out from underneath Ezra's. She didn't want to, in fact she actually enjoyed the display of affection even if it was involuntary but she didn't want to deal with Ezra's self imposed embarrassment upon waking up.

"Ezra." Sabine nudged him gently on the shoulder. He immediately awoke with a jolt, his eyes going wide and immediately observing all of his surroundings. Sabine watched him do a double take upon noticing her, he blinked rapidly a few times before sitting up awkwardly, clearly going through the same mental process Sabine just had.

"We fell asleep." Sabine explained as she stood up and looked to Ahsoka who was now standing as well.

"Good morning, Ezra." Ahsoka said in a surprisingly flat voice. Sabine quirked an eyebrow curiously at the Togruta. Whatever was wrong had Ahsoka shaken, Sabine never really liked or trusted Ahsoka but she respected the former Jedi's unwavering will. To see her like this only made Sabine more worried.

"Kriff, we're supposed to be training aren't we?" Ezra asked.

"Actually, I need to talk to Sabine." Ahsoka said.

 _That can't be good._ Sabine thought to herself as her spirits fell. She didn't exactly have the best relationship with Ahsoka. She never fully trusted the older woman especially since what happened on Dantooine.

"Oh…" Ezra looked at Sabine with a confused look on his face hoping she would have some sort of explanation. Sabine simply shrugged, she was just as out of the loop as he was. "...Uhh, okay."

"You might want to go talk to Hera." Ahsoka told Ezra. "She has some news for you that you'll want to hear."

"Alright." Ezra said with a shake of his head. He looked to Sabine with a light smile and a look in his eyes that said he wanted to hear what happened later. "See you later." He said as he began walking away.

"So…" Sabine said trying to get the conversation started, she didn't want to be there any longer than she had to.

Sabine noticed Ahsoka carefully watching Ezra leave as if waiting for him to be entirely out of earshot before she spoke. The Togruta's caution about Ezra only made Sabine more nervous.

 _Is she here to tell me to keep my distance from him?_ Sabine thought to herself. She knew Jedi weren't supposed to have 'attachments' but she wouldn't let that stop her. Ezra was her best friend and she had lost him once, she wasn't going to just give him up for some religion.

 _No._ Sabine thought to herself. _That can't be it. He doesn't feel that way about me._ _Besides, she doesn't know how I feel about him._

"I need your help." Ahsoka finally spoke breaking the silence. She looked away from Sabine and walked to the edge of the mesa overlooking the Atollon landscape. Ahsoka seemed on edge or as if she was scared even.

"Okay." Sabine stood next to Ahsoka taking in the same sight as her companion. She understood now why Ezra and Ahsoka trained here everyday, the large coral formations spread across the distant land and basking in the morning sun was breathtaking.

"As you know, Jedi sometimes have...visions." Ahsoka began to explain. "And I have been having the same one since before Ezra, Kanan, and I left for Malachor, and Kanan had a similar vision as well before he left."

"And what does vision have to do with me?" Sabine asked. She knew from experience with Ezra that visions in the force weren't something to underestimate but that didn't stop her from wanting to know more information.

"It's not what it has to do with you. It's about Ezra." Ahsoka explained. She turned to face Sabine, her face seemed almost pale and her eyes beset with fear. "In the vision, I still don't understand most of what I'm seeing but the one thing I do understand is that Ezra is corrupted by the dark side."

 _No. That can't happen._ Sabine thought. She wanted to tell Ahsoka she was wrong, that Ezra would never do that but Sabine could tell by the look in Ahsoka's that there was no room for interpretation in her mind.

Sabine didn't know much about the force, the light side and the dark, but what little she did know was that the dark side was corrupting and would consume the person leaving them a shell of what they were. Sabine couldn't let that happen.

"Well how do we stop it?" Sabine asked.

"We can't." Ahsoka answered.

"No! There has to be a way!" Sabine protested, she didn't want to even entertain the thought of losing Ezra again. Even talking about it made her nauseous. Ahsoka shook her head in response to Sabine's outburst. Sabine tried to look away, she almost considered walking away and hoping that it was all just a bad dream but Ahsoka grabbed her by the shoulders and made her face her.

"A vision will always happen. The only thing that can be wrong is how it's interpreted. But there isn't any room for misinterpretation in what I saw. Ezra was beginning to turn." Ahsoka said. "But I didn't see anything after that."

"So?" Sabine asked.

"So that means we don't know what his fate will be yet. It could still be decided. When it happens, there's a chance that we could bring him back."

"Okay, how do we do that?" Sabine asked. She felt Ahsoka taken aback by her question.

"I-" Ahsoka stepped back, her brow furrowed in concentration as if she was trying to remember or think of an old memory. "-I don't know." She finally relented.

"Well that's just great isn't it?" Sabine asked rhetorically and brought her hand up to her face to rub her temple. She felt her resolve start to crumble as the thought of Ezra going Sith corrupted her mind. She could see Ahsoka had no answers which only frustrated her more and made her begin to panic.

The Ezra that Sabine knew was once again going to disappear. The person she had grown to care for, the first person she had opened up to since Ketsu and he was going to leave only this time it would be for good. There was still so much that she had to tell him, even though she dreaded the thought of telling him about her past, about why she left the Empire, it was still preferable to him being taken by the dark side, even if it meant he would never talk to her again. She couldn't bear the thought of him giving into evil.

 _No._ Sabine told herself as she fought back the knot in her throat that warned of tears. _Y_ ou're better than this, and so is Ezra.

Sabine looked at the helpless Ahsoka, tears still welling up in her eyes but a newfound determination held behind them.

"I won't give up on him." Sabine said, her voice was shaky as she spoke.

"And neither will I." Ahsoka said. "But we need to stop Ezra from giving up on himself."

"If he does I'll kick his ass." Sabine joked. Ahsoka surprisingly laughed despite the serious and dire tones of the conversation.

"I have no doubt that you will." Ahsoka replied. "In the meantime though, we just need to focus on keeping him in one piece. Ezra turning to the dark side wasn't the only thing I saw in my vision."

Sabine raised an eyebrow waiting for more information.

"There's a war coming." Ahsoka said. She hefted the large backpack at her feet and handed it to Sabine who set it down, knelt next to it and opened it. She pulled out the contents piece by piece. It was armor like Sabine had never seen before. It was an incredibly light but surprisingly durable dark silver armor set. Unfortunately it was also incredibly dull, no color, no design other than that of the actual armor itself which was clearly designed for practicality.

"Ezra found it on Dantooine." Ahsoka said. "I ran extensive testing on it to make sure it was still in good shape. I'm sure you will want to run some tests on it yourself to be sure though."

 _Of course I will._ Sabine thought as she continued to take in every detail of the armor.

"I also figured that before I gave it to Ezra that maybe you could use your artistic abilities on it." Ahsoka added. "I know how much he enjoys your artwork."

"I thought you'd never ask." Sabine grinned as her mind began to produce countless ideas for what to paint on the armor. "It should only take me a couple days." Sabine said knowing what Ahsoka had planned and why she was only doing this now.

"Good. Thank you, Sabine." Ahsoka said. Sabine packed up the armor again and slung the bag over her shoulder. She started to walk towards the Ghost but stopped herself after just a few meters. There was one thing that didn't really make sense. Sabine turned back to Ahsoka who was now sitting at the edge of the mesa carefully observing the horizon.

"Why me?" Sabine asked. She and Ezra didn't exactly have the most consistent relationship, Sabine didn't understand why Ahsoka wouldn't tell Hera who was like a mother to Ezra, but would tell her.

"Because I know what you mean to him." Ahsoka answered. Ahsoka turned her head so that Sabine could see the side of her face. "And I know what he means to you. I may not be the most well versed on love, but I know it when I see it."

Sabine opened her mouth to argue but no words came out. Ahsoka was so sure of herself that there was no way of even trying to debate it. Sabine watched as the Togruta woman turned to the horizon and leaned back.

Stumbling over her own thoughts, Sabine began the walk back to the Ghost and to her room to begin painting in the hopes that it would distract her. Ezra falling to the dark side, Ahsoka warning of a war to come, telling Sabine how Ezra felt about her. According to Ahsoka, Ezra loved her which was something she couldn't seem to wrap her head around or even believe regardless of how sure Ahsoka was. It just didn't make sense.

 _And do I love him?_ Sabine asked herself as she tried to find answers in herself. She had spent as much time with him as she could since Kashyyyk to answer that very question and she still didn't really have an answer. She wasn't really sure that she even wanted an answer or wanted to love him. Realistically, she knew it would only complicate things. She had dedicated her life to fighting the Empire and a rebellion wasn't exactly the best place to have a healthy relationship, trying to balance fighting a tyrannical government and a relationship with a force user was intimidating, even to Sabine.

To top all of her confused feelings, there was still the problem of Ezra himself. Ahsoka knew he would begin to turn. It was not an opinion but a fact.

 _But when? How? Why?_

* * *

"Hey Ezra, did you talk to Ahsoka?" Hera greeted Ezra as he walked into the cockpit of the Ghost. The Twi'lek was laying on her back underneath one of the consoles repairing and organizing a massive cluster of wires.

"Barely." Ezra sighed in frustration, whatever was wrong with Ahsoka, he wanted to help but he couldn't do that if she shut him out. He sat down in the co-pilot's chair. "She told me you had something to tell me."

"Zeb and Rex got some intel from that merc you captured on Thabeska." Hera said in a strained voice as one of the wires sparked causing her to curse in her native tongue.

"What did they get?" Ezras body perked up at the news. Any information they could get on Maul, he would take.

"The mercenary outfit is called the First Suns. The one you captured said that Maul hired the entire outfit and that the crew we encountered on Thabeska came from a larger group working an operation on Vorzyd V."

"What were they doing on Vorzyd V?" Ezra asked.

"He said he didn't know." Hera answered plainly. "And no, you won't go ask him yourself." She added on as she pulled herself out from under the console and sat up.

"What why not?" Ezra asked raising his voice a little. "I can make him tell the truth."

"So can Zeb." Hera replied, her eyes going distant as if remembering a sight she didn't want to see. "And trust me, Zeb made him tell the truth. Besides, he's a fresh recruit, said he just worked security on a warehouse. Crates came in, crates went out was really all he had to offer us."

"Well it will have to do." Ezra said as he stood up from the chair. "I guess Ahsoka and I are going to Vorzyd V. There's no way Sato will sign off on investigating Maul."

"You and Ahsoka aren't going anywhere, not alone at least." Hera said sternly as she stood up and turned to the console then activated the holo. "And Sato doesn't need to know about Maul on Vorzyd because just this morning we received this." Hera pressed a few buttons then an audio transmission began playing as a familiar symbol was projected by the holo, the symbol of Fulcrum.

 _I thought Ahsoka was Fulcrum?_ Ezra asked silently.

"Two cycles ago, ISB began receiving reports of growing rebellious activity in the undercity of Vorzyd V." Ezra watched as the Fulcrum symbol disappeared from the holo revealing pictures of anti Empire graffiti, seeing anti Empire graffiti was nothing out of the ordinary but that's not what caught Ezra's eyes. It was the same symbol among all of the pictures, a rising Phoenix, almost exactly the same as Sabine's signature piece.

"Local security has done nothing to end this activity, indicating that the casino owners and upper class of the world are either sympathetic to the rebellion or organizing these acts themselves. Though no evidence of an organized movement has presented itself yet. ISB has dispatched agents to investigate. If the rebellion has agents on Vorzyd V. I advise they cease activities and go underground at least until Empire Day passes." The transmission ended leaving the cockpit in silence.

"I convinced Sato to let us go to Vorzyd V to try and make contact and possibly set up a cell on Vorzyd." Hera explained as she crossed her arms to look at Ezra. "And while we are there we can investigate we can investigate the First Suns and Maul. Sato doesn't need to know a thing about it." She said with a mischievous smile.

"Thank you, Hera." Ezra replied almost instantly. It was relieving to know that even though the leader of Phoenix squadron didn't believe Maul was a threat. Hera and his family knew, for then that was all he needed.

* * *

Maul stood alone on the balcony of the ancient building overlooking the training area of his followers. In the distance training amongst themselves were Mandalorians of clans Vizsla, Kast, Reau all of which had followed him for the past seventeen years. Others had joined over the years. The most recent of which was Clan Wren, a most interesting development in Maul's eyes. The family of the infamous Sabine Wren, artist, demolitions expert, rebel, and most notably, a close confidant of Ezra Bridger. Having the Wrens on his side would be helpful indeed.

Closer to Maul were six of the apprentices he had been training in the ways of the Sith over the years. Maul had no patience for the Rule of Two that Darth Sidious was so adamant about. There were countless force sensitives in the galaxy and Maul wasn't afraid of having more than one student try to kill him. If they rebelled he would kill them all.

"Ahh, my apprentice returns." Maul orated as he felt a familiar presence approach from behind. He continued to watch over his followers basking in the power he had grown for himself

"Master, we have received word from Thabeska."

Maul turned to face his oldest and first apprentice. Wil Kast, a Mandalorian and the firstborn son of one of Maul's most loyal followers, Rook Kast. The young servant wore full Mandalorian blood red and black Mandalorian armor with his helmet held at his side as he knelt before Maul.

"And?" Maul growled, waiting to hear the answer he already knew was coming. The boy was a loyal servant and formidable warrior, but his courtesies often frustrated Maul.

"Apprentice Hedala and all of the First Sun mercenaries are dead. Our scouts said they couldn't identify who attacked them but whoever it was left no bodies of their own behind." Hux said with an admirable amount of satisfaction at mentioning Hedala's death.

 _Good._ Maul said to himself at Wil's emotions. The apprentice knew as well as Maul did that Hedala was weak, and the weak had no place in his new order.

"Shall I inform the scouts to interrogate the locals for more information?" Wil asked.

"No need. I already know who it was." Maul scowled as he folded his hands behind his back and continued watching the apprentices training. It was Tano and Bridger. Maul could feel it.

"Master?" Wil asked clearly hoping Maul would elaborate for him. Maul simply rolled his eyes and ignored his apprentice's request. It was irrelevant to him anyways. He stayed silent and after a moment, Wil realized he would not get an answer.

"Whoever it was could have found out about our operations on Vorzyd V. I will take some of my clan members and-"

"You will do nothing!" Maul spun on his apprentice with a menacing roar. The Mandalorian didn't so much as flinch, but it didn't matter. Maul could feel the young man's fear, as much as he tried to hide it under his warrior culture and his armor, he was still a human and all humans feared death. And Maul had made it very evident over the years that failure to follow his orders or to act without his command was death.

"Do not assume that because you have this weapon that you are now the leader of your people!" Maul pulled the weapon in question to his hand from Wil's belt as he yelled. The Darksaber, the ancient symbol of power in Mandalorian culture. It was accepted amongst Mandalorian culture that whoever wielded it was the leader of every member and planet of the culture.

"You would do well to remember that while I have the Mandalore's mask. I can take away any power you might think that weapon holds over your people." Maul growled at Wil reminding the apprentice of why he was still in charge. The Darksaber was nothing in comparison to the reverence that the Mandalorian people held for the Mandalore's mask. It was the mask worn by Mandalore the Ultimate and then Canderous Ordo, the man who, with the blessing of Revan, reunited the Mandalorian people and brought them back from the brink of extinction. It had been lost for thousands of years until Maul found it, and now that he had it, he wouldn't have to even fight for the Mandalorian people to agree to follow him.

"Yes master." Wil said without hesitation.

"Our attackers finding out about Vorzyd V was not a part of the plan" Maul's scowl turned into a menacing grin, his eyes flickered with mischievous glee. "But it can be used to benefit our agents' mission there."

* * *

After talking to Hera, Ezra packed his belongings for the mission and brought them to the Ghost. Assuming that Ahsoka and Sabine had enough time to talk, he went to go find the Togruta. He had no trouble finding her, she was exactly where he had left her, in their usual spot.

Ezra walked up to Ahsoka, she sat at the edge of the mesa,the still rising sun shone on her back as a gentle wind brought a cool air. Instead of sitting cross legged and meditating like Ezra normally saw her, she had her feet dangling over the edge and was leaning back on her hands. It was the first time Ezra ever saw her look so much like a normal person, her posture wasn't perfect like it always was, she had a wistful look in her eyes, and her presence felt different as well. Normally she was closed off, not displaying any emotions, but then in front of Ezra she let it all show. He could feel how she hurt, worried, and stressed all in his own soul. But he could also feel the hope that she had, and the comfort she felt in his own presence.

Without a word he sat next to his silent friend. He let his own feet hang over the edge and simply watched the unmoving landscape, a sight that he could easily recreate in his mind after seeing it every day for six straight months.

"Do you understand why I killed Hedala?" Ahsoka asked breaking the silence.

"You don't need to explain yourself, Ahsoka." Ezra simply answered. He wasn't sure what he would have done in her situation but it didn't matter. Hedala was a murderer and a Sith, he knew Ahsoka didn't have much of a choice, keeping her prisoner would have been dangerous and only a temporary solution. What mattered to Ezra, is that Ahsoka didn't blame herself. That his friend didn't go down the same road he had only just recovered from.

"You did what you had to do, there was nothing else you could have done." Ezra explained.

"I could have tried to convince her to turn away from the dark side." Ahsoka replied. "Instead I just killed her."

"I thought there was no turning back from the dark side? Excluding Revan of course but he had memory loss so unless you were planning on wiping her memory I'm not sure that would have worked." Ezra said.

"Maybe…" Ahsoka said, clearly unsure of herself. She looked Ezra directly in the eyes with a gaze that did nothing but give Ezra an incredibly foreboding feeling. "...but I have to believe that there is redemption, that somebody can come back from the dark side while still knowing who they were and who they are."

 _Like Anakin Skywalker._ Ezra thought to himself as the realization of what Ahsoka was talking about dawned on him. Or at least he thought, Ahsoka was often cryptic at times but he couldn't think of any other explanation for this. Who else had fallen to the dark side and was still alive?

"Well," Ezra put his hand on Ahsoka's shoulder and shrugged. "If it's been done before, I'm sure it can be done again. But Hedala didn't want to come back, Ahsoka. How could she have after what she did to her family?"

Ahsoka sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. Ezra could tell she was replaying that moment in her mind, the moment when Hedala slaughtered her family like animals. It haunted Ezra as well, he couldn't imagine how much it hurt Ahsoka.

"You did the right thing, Ahsoka." Ezra reiterated before removing his hand from her shoulder and leaning back to watch the horizon. Ahsoka didn't say anything, they remained silent in each other's company for another hour. She continued to not hide her feelings and Ezra did the same.

He felt her regret slowly sliding away, turning into resolve and determination. They both found comfort in each other's presence despite the lack of conversation, the two never really needed to talk. Ezra and Ahsoka's friendship was a mostly unspoken one, not affirmed with words but with deeds and presence. They had helped each other through many crucibles in the past months. Regardless of how many more conflicts were coming, Ezra knew Ahsoka would always be there to help him just as he had been there for her.

* * *

"Ezra." Ahsoka greeted him as he walked into the Ghost's common room. Ezra nodded to Sabine and Ahsoka who both sat at the table eating dinner, or breakfast, he wasn't sure after sleeping for the entire ride to Vorzyd V. Chopper had only just woken him up minutes earlier on Hera's orders saying that they were going to be arriving in under half an hour. It had been the first good sleep Ezra had gotten since Thabeska over three days prior, and it was interrupted by Chopper shocking him. Suffice to say he wasn't in the best mood.

"Hey." Ezra sat down next to Sabine and rubbed his eyes in an attempt to try and wake himself up.

"How are you still tired?" Sabine asked incredulously as Ezra yawned. "You just slept for twelve hours."

"Missed me so much that you counted the hours?" Ezra teased and elbowed Sabine gently. "And it would have been twelve and a half hours, any idea on why Hera woke me up so early? She use to wait until we were five minutes out."

"Yeah, about that." Sabine said hinting that she knew more than Ezra did. Ezra glared at Sabine suspecting that she had something to do with it.

"We asked her to wake you up." Ahsoka intervened before either could say anything. "We have something for you."

 _What could they possibly have for me and why? I thought Sabine hated Ahsoka._ Ezra thought to himself. Rather than question the oddness of the situation he deferred to just going with it, he was far too tired still to argue or demand explanations. "Uhh, okay."

They stood up and Ezra followed them back to Sabine's quarters. Sabine opened the door revealing a stand in the center of the room. On the stand was a full set of armor, it was the Jedi armor he had taken from the enclave on Dantooine but it was barely recognizable in its current state. The armor was no longer attached to the robes and each piece had black fittings and straps so that they could be worn over anything. Along with the new practical modifications, the armor was painted with magnificent patterns and symbols. It was astonishingly beautiful and no doubt the work of Sabine.

Ezra silently approached the armor, he had truthfully forgotten about it and now he had no words to describe how he felt other than that he was in awe. The right pauldron was still black while the left pauldron was given a simple wide orange stripe not unlike the one Sabine had painted on his arm.

The chest piece had been repainted in a dark grey with a black symbol of the Phoenix emblazoning the upper left side and an orange stripe that went at an angle from the top center of the piece to the bottom right corner not unlike the stripe Sabine had on her own armor. The thinner flexible leather-like material covering the abdomen and the belt with multiple pouches was left untouched and the vambraces and shin guards were both recoated in a dark black paint and nothing else.

"I had a million ideas and wanted to cover the entire armor set but decided against it." Sabine said interrupting Ezra's awestruck silence. "It's your armor so I left most of it blank, whatever you want to add I'll add." Ezra pried his eyes away from the armor and back to Ahsoka and Sabine who stood side by side behind him. Sabine looked on with both a sense of pride at her work and trepidation as if she was worried Ezra wouldn't like it.

He smiled at how caring she was about her work, he adored it about her. It was one of the many qualities he loved about her and likely always would.

"Thank you so much." Ezra finally said. "Both of you." He made sure to include Ahsoka, it had to have been her idea to have Sabine paint it. "I love it."

"Good." Ahsoka said.

"But why did you do this for me?" Ezra asked curiously, he still didn't fully understand why.

"Wow. He seriously has no idea." Sabine said to Ahsoka who simply shook her head with a chuckle.

"It's your birthday, Ezra." Ahsoka answered him.

"Oh. I didn't realize." Ezra said, his mind drifted to the past reminding him of why he hated his birthday so much, Empire Day. The annual celebration of the birth of the government that had imprisoned and killed his parents.

"I'm going to go let Hera know that we're ready." Ahsoka said.

"Ready for what?" Ezra asked.

"You'll see." Ahsoka turned and left Sabine's quarters leaving Ezra and Sabine alone.

 _Why does everybody have to be so cryptic all the time._ Ezra shook his head noticing that Sabine looked at him coyly as she approached him.

"I know today is tough." Sabine spoke softly.

"Yeah, that's an understatement." Ezra mumbled as he looked down at his feet and rubbed the back of his head.

"I know that there's nothing we can do to fix the past but we can at least try to make the day better for you. Will you let us do that?" Sabine asked, her voice was calm and soothing to his ears. It brought him just a moment of respite from the burning image of everything he had lost back home. He looked at her and gently smiled. She smiled back.

 _As beautiful as the night sky._ Ezra said to himself. He wanted to say it out loud. To tell her just how perfectly beautiful she was and how much she meant to him. How the only thing he needed to make getting through Empire Day possible was to just be near her. He wanted to tell her that he loved her. But he was too afraid to do any of that. Sabine didn't feel that way about him, she never had and he suspected she never would. So he didn't, out of fear of possibly ruining the relationship he did have with her.

"Yeah." Ezra said instead of confessing his feelings. "I can do that." Sabine's eyes lit up in excitement at hearing his answer.

"Good." She nodded. "Now you're going to want to eat some food before we land."

"Why?" Ezra asked raising an eyebrow.

"You're eighteen now, Ezra. Which means you can now legally drink." She said with a wide grin. "We're taking you out to the bars tonight."

* * *

 _Next chapter on Phantoms of the Past: Empire Day: The Ghost crew takes Ezra out drinking for his first time. Ezra asks Zeb for advice, Sabine re-evaluates her relationship with Ezra, and shenanigans ensue._


	12. Empire Day

_Last chapter on Phantoms of the Past: Ahsoka enlisted the help of Sabine in regards to her repeating visions as well as a gift for Ezra. Maul's growing army and a new piece of his plan is revealed. Fulcrum contacted Phoenix squadron to inform them of rebel activity on Vorzyd V. The mercenaries from Thabeska were also found to have worked for Maul on Vorzyd V. The Ghost crew went to investigate but first decided on taking Ezra out for his first legal drink._

* * *

CH 11: Empire Day

The Ghost crew made their way through crowded evening streets of the upper city of Vorzyd V in search of a bar that wasn't too crowded but also wasn't so empty that they would draw attention. The city spanned the entire planet and the buildings were so tall that the upper city was entirely above the clouds. Even with the light pollution and starships flying above, the night sky was perfectly illuminated with the stars and no moon in sight. Vorzyd V, or Gamblers World as it was known, had no moon. The streets were lined with brightly lit casino entrances, clubs, and bars. Despite the seedy nature of the planet's industry, it was nothing but high class in the upper city. No crime, no graffiti, no civilians carrying weapons, or wearing armor. There were, however, numerous Imperial flags and stormtrooper patrols, likely all out for the illustrious Empire Day.

It made Sabine feel uneasy. Especially considering her current attire. The same outfit she had worn for the heist of Hosnian Prime. A simple dark brown leather jacket with a white shirt and black jeans.

"I still don't get why we couldn't bring weapons or armor." Sabine complained to Hera.

"Not this again." Hera sighed. "We're trying not to draw attention so we can just have one normal night." She raised her index finger and pointed at Sabine "Which means no armor, no weapons, and no graffiti."

"Art." Sabine corrected Hera.

"Fine. No Art." Hera relented then pointed at Zeb. "And no fighting" then pointed at Ezra who merely looked at Hera like an innocent Loth-Cat. "And no stealing."

"Yes, Hera." both Ezra and Zeb said in unison with resigned groans.

Sabine let Hera and Zeb take the lead, shouldering through people while Ezra fell back to walk next to her.

"Here." Ezra spoke as quietly as he could. He turned towards her as he walked and discreetly held out his open hand. In it was a shortened barrel CDEF blaster pistol. One of Sabine's many modified weapons that she had left in the Ghost weapons locker for anybody to use. The weapon packed more punch than a holdout blaster and was almost as small.

Sabine smiled at Ezra, her heart beating faster just at the gesture. She realized it was a strange reaction to most. But to her it meant a lot. Ezra knew how uncomfortable she was without weapons or armor, it was her way of life and so there he was trying to make her feel better.

"Keep it." Sabine replied. She pulled open her jacket revealing a pistol grip sticking out of an inside pocket. She had made two of those CDEF blasters and the one in her jacket was the second one. Ezra laughed and shook his head before quickly putting his blaster away.

"So why complain about not having weapons?" Ezra asked.

"Hera would be suspicious if I didn't complain." Sabine shrugged.

"Should I complain about not being able to steal then?" Ezra teemed with mischief as he showed her the contents of his right hand. Five hundred credits.

"What the-"

"Hey keep it down." Ezra interrupted her as he pocketed the money and took a quick glance at his surroundings. Likely checking to see if anybody noticed. Sabine did as well. Luckily, it didn't look like anybody was looking their way.

"Where did you even get that?" Sabine asked.

"Fifteen meters or so back." Ezra said pointing his thumb over his shoulder. "Old guy in the white suit."

Sabine looked behind her to see a well dressed human in a white suit talking to a woman. She was about to yell at Ezra for stealing from an innocent person until she saw that the suit was in fact an Imperial uniform.

"You have got to teach me how to do that." Sabine requested enthusiastically. The Imperial had no idea what hit him and wouldn't until they were a long way gone. She saw Ezra's eyes light up at her request. A sheepish grin grew on his face as if she had just told him everything he ever wanted to hear.

"Really?" He asked. "You want to learn?"

"Of course!"

"Alright," Ezra said. "I'll teach you a bit later tonight but only if you agree to teach me how to paint."

"Deal." Sabine quickly agreed.

Sabine smiled at the thought of teaching Ezra how to paint. It was going to be impossible, but at the very least it was an excuse to spend more time with him. Something she had found herself wanting more and more of since Kashyyyk. She told herself it was nothing and that she didn't know why, but deep in the back of her mind after what Ahsoka had told her, a part of Sabine knew that it was because she was truly happy when she was with Ezra and that maybe she was falling in love with him.

Sabine blissfully allowed herself to think of what things could have been like between her and Ezra had there been no war to fight and no terrifying visions of the future to worry about. She knew they never would have met, but she imagined that they would have anyway. Maybe the two could have something more than the complicated friendship they had, but for now she was more than willing to settle for teaching each other how to pickpocket and paint.

Sabine and Ezra followed Zeb and Hera into a bar they decided on.

 _Pickpocketing and painting later._ Sabine said to herself pushing away the fantasies of a normal life, whatever a normal life could be for a Mandalorian and a Jedi. _First I've gotta teach him how to drink like a Mandalorian._

* * *

Ahsoka nimbly glided through the empty back streets of Vorzyd V. What people she did see either didn't see her, cowered in fear, or begged for money. The streets were filthy, the air was rotten, and the only source of lights came from neon signs for bars, sketchy casinos, and dull street lamps.

The former Jedi had opted not to go with Ezra and the rest of the crew for drinks for a multitude of reasons. The first being that their profiles were still only known on Lothal and surrounding planets, Ahsoka however, had started hearing reports of Imperial bounties for her popping up across the entire galaxy ever since Malachor. She would only draw attention by going out in public with the others on such a populated planet. The second reason was simple, the merc from Thabeska gave up the location of one of the warehouses they were providing security for on Vorzyd which was where Ahsoka was headed to at that very moment. She was just around the corner from her destination and luckily hadn't encountered any trouble yet.

There was the occasional security patrol, Ahsoka suspected that most of the local planetary forces as well as the Imperials were more focused on the celebrations in the upper city.

The one thing that hadn't changed since the rise of the Empire, security for the wealthy came first. As much as this fact of life disturbed Ahsoka, she was more than happy to take advantage of it as a rebel.

Ahsoka made her way down the side of the street, tugging at the edge of her hood with both hands both to cover her face and to stave off the surprisingly bitter cold. She came to an intersection and rounded the corner. At the end of the street was a derelict building that looked more like it used to be slum housing rather than a warehouse. Nonetheless, it was the location that Ahsoka was given so she was going to investigate it regardless of the likelihood of a trap.

After making sure there weren't any lookouts, Ahsoka made her way down the street and towards the main entrance of the run-down building. There was a single door in the center which she approached carefully. She pressed the open button on the console next to the door and it simply slid open.

 _No lock? Definitely a trap._ Ahsoka pulled a lightsaber to her right hand but left her other hand free. She couldn't sense anything inside the dark building but that didn't stop her from being cautious.

Slowly, Ahsoka walked inside revealing a mostly shelled out first floor. In front of her was a lift and on both sides most of the walls had been taken out to open the area up. Likely for storage as the Merc had said. There were a few turned over and empty crates dispersed across the floor but didn't appear to contain anything that would bear information for Ahsoka's investigation.

Ahsoka stepped into the lift and pressed the button for the second floor. The elevator shuddered to life indicating lack of maintenance and old age but did its job and brought her up to the second floor.

The second floor was equally empty and shelled out like the first floor. Only support beams were left in place to keep the building from collapsing while walls were removed. There were additionally a few more small crates as well as a familiar smell. It brought her back to all of her unpleasant excursions to the planet florrum, specifically in Hondo Ohnaka's compound. Ahsoka carefully walked towards one of the containers and knelt down beside it before opening it.

It was empty save for a thin red powder that permeated the air with a heavy odor. Spice.

Ahsoka scowled in disgust at the sight of the illicit drug that plagued the galaxy. Carefully she brushed her finger across the dust and ground it in between her index and thumb. One of the many things she had learned in Jedi training was how to identify all types of contraband ranging from exotic species to illegal drugs. The spice dust quickly kneaded into a small ball and made the skin on her finger go numb.

 _Polstine Spice._ Ahsoka remarked in surprise. It was the most expensive and highly illegal strain of the drug. She was surprised that somebody as lowly as Maul had operations that high up on the drug chain. It also partially explained trying to take over the Fardi's smuggling operation and how Maul was able to fund the mercenaries.

Ahsoka knew there had to be more to it than that though. The spice explained the smuggling and the mercenaries but it didn't explain or even come close to why Maul was investigating the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. There were still too many questions.

Deciding to move on, Ahsoka went back to the lift and to the third and top floor of the building. The lift doors opened up revealing flickering lights in a hallway. The walls hadn't been taken out like the previous floors.

Ahsoka stepped out into the hallway. The sound of electricity cutting in and out on the lights was the only sound save for the crumbling concrete crunching under Ahsoka's boots. It was so quiet that she could hear her heart beat and the sound of her clothes on her skin. She took one step at a time until she made it to the first door. Unlike the entrance to the building, this door had magnetic locks installed. Ahsoka glanced down the hallway at the other doors which appeared to be equipped with similar locks as well.

With a flick of her thumb, Ahsoka activated the saber in her right hand. The white light and steady hum brought much needed comfort and relief to her ears and eyes. She pressed the end of the saber into the locking mechanism and slowly cut around it. The lock wasn't designed to resist lightsabers and was cut through with ease.

Once the locking mechanism was cut out, Ahsoka gave it a light nudge with the force making the entire cut area fall away from the door and onto the floor. Without the lock in place, the door slid open revealing a horrid sight.

The room inside was small, damp, and even darker than the hallway. A pile of rags that looked like they were supposed to be a makeshift bed sat in the far corner. There were occasional blood spatters dispersed across the floor and walls, and most disturbingly there was a camera in one of the upper corners of the wall.

Ahsoka turned to look at the inside of the door and checked the console on it. It was deactivated. Cameras, mag lock on the door, and no way to open or close it from the inside. Ahsoka's heart sank and a small ball of rage began to form in her chest. She quickly quelled it, pushing the anger as far back as she could as she moved onto the next room, broke the lock and checked the inside. It was the same. As was the next room, and the one after that. After the fourth room, Ahsoka gave up. The rage in her chest boiled up again, this time she couldn't push it back.

Maul was antagonizing her. She had enough experience and had heard enough stories about him that he was too calculating to have had his thugs leave all this evidence behind on accident. He did it on purpose, to show that he was not only one step ahead of her but gaining his power and money in the most despicable way possible. Drugs and slaves.

The only question was, where did all of the drugs and slaves go.

* * *

Hera, Ezra, and Sabine stood around a high top table talking amongst themselves while Zeb tried to flag down the bartender at the bar. It had been ten minutes and Ezra could see from across the room that the Lasat's patience was wearing thin, not that Zeb was ever known for outstanding patience in the first place.

Ezra watched their surroundings carefully. They stood at a table adjacent to the bar and close to the back exit of the building. The bar itself was not at all what Ezra had expected. It was crowded and music was playing at such a high level that it was impossible to overhear a conversation even a few feet away. Neon signs and holos glared across the walls and there were quite a few people dancing. Despite not even having a drink yet, Ezra was enjoying himself, everybody seemed happy.

"Alright kid!" Zeb came back to the high top table that Ezra, Sabine, and Hera all stood at. He set down a handful of drinks that his massive hands had carried with ease. A short glass of clear liquid for Sabine, she had told Ezra it was called Tihaar, a potent Mandalorian liquor that was triple distilled from fruits. Hera took an Adumari beer and Zeb handed Ezra a large glass with an amber liquid.

"Thanks...Uhh what is it?" Ezra eyed it cautiously, the glass was so large that Ezra was pretty sure it was bigger than his own head.

"It's Dor'ah! It's a Lasat drink. A real drink!"

"Oh, Zeb not this again!" Sabine complained after taking a sip of her own drink.

"What?" Zeb looked at her with his best version of innocent eyes.

"I think what Sabine is referring to, Zeb, is that you've had all of us try this drink before. Many times." Hera said.

"So?" Zeb shrugged.

"Hey who knows, maybe I'll like it." Ezra chimed in.

"Alright but don't say I didn't warn you." Sabine teased. Ezra looked at the drink apprehensively, took a deep breath, let it out, then pulled the large glass up to his mouth. The smell alone was so bitter that it almost made him put it down but he powered through and took a large gulp.

Despite swallowing as quickly as he could, the drink still burned in his throat and tasted so awful that he cringed and shook his head as a shiver went down his spine. It was without a doubt, the most repulsive thing he had ever consumed. Which for Ezra, a former homeless pickpocket and street urchin was saying quite a lot.

Sabine and Zeb both erupted in laughter at what Ezra could only assume was his reaction to the drink.

"That's awful how do you even enjoy that taste?" Ezra asked.

"It's not about the taste." Zeb answered. Ezra watched in shock and awe as Zeb quickly chugged his own drink in it's entirety. "It's about how it makes you feel. You gonna finish that?" He said pointing at Ezra's drink. Ezra relinquished his drink and pushed it across the table to Zeb who quickly drank half of it.

"Here." Sabine handed Ezra her drink. Ezra took it and apprehensively took a sip of it. In comparison to the Do'rah it wasn't nearly as bitter but was felt significantly stronger in alcohol content. It also had a familiar fruity flavor to it that reminded him of home.

"It's Jogan fruit." Sabine explained. The flavor made sense now, the Jogan was a fruit that use to grow on Lothal during his childhood. After years of the Empire destroying the agriculture with pollution though, the fruit had stopped growing on the planet. "You have the rest I'll get something else."

"I'll go with you." Hera said. "Be careful with that." Hera pointed at the drink as Ezra took a second and much deeper sip from it.

"He'll be fine. It's only sixty seven percent alcohol." Sabine said.

"Exactly." Ezra heard Hera say as the two women walked towards the bar. Ezra and Zeb both took another sip of their respective drinks then fell into an awkward silence. The two of them hadn't really had a chance to talk much even since Kashyyyk and before that hadn't talked since Malachor. Ezra had no idea what to say to Zeb, how to even begin to apologize for abandoning a friend who he had begun to look at as a brother and he wasn't comfortable pretending like it never happened either. Much to Ezra's relief, Zeb finally broke the silence.

"You alright, Ezra?" Zeb asked. Ezra immediately recognized the tone in Zeb's voice. Neither of them were particularly good at talking about feelings or personal matters. After years of living together and going through plenty of shocking and traumatic experiences, the two had inadvertently created their own secret language in recognizing when something was wrong and managing to talk about it. In this instance, Ezra knew that Zeb was referring to Empire Day.

"I guess." Ezra answered as the melancholy tone that the day always held over him came back to him. It was just a reminder, a slap in the face of everything the Empire had done to Ezra. They had imprisoned and killed his parents, destroyed his home, taken away numerous friends of his from the streets of Lothal, and over the past years had begun destroying his entire home planet.

Ezra felt a pang of pain and melancholy from Zeb as well as he reflected on his past.

 _I'm not the only one. The same thing happened to Zeb._ Ezra realized, he looked up to see a look of agony in Zeb's face as an Empire logo came across the holo screens. Zeb's family had been killed by the Empire too, almost his entire species was killed, and his home entirely destroyed.

"How do you deal with it?" Ezra asked.

"It gets easier each year." Zeb explained. "And it helps to know I'm not alone." He said raising his glass to Ezra.

Ezra raised his glass as well. "To not being alone." The two clinked glasses then both downed the rest of their drinks.

"Not bad, Bridger." Ezra heard Sabine say as she and Hera both came back to the table with drinks in hand. Hera had somehow managed to finish her beer and carried a different colored one as well as a small flask shaped glass. Sabine had a glass of Tihaar in each hand. "I told you he could handle it, Hera." Sabine nudged Ezra with her shoulder looking up at him as she did, their eyes locked for only a brief moment and Ezra swore that he could see a sparkle of admiration in her eye. It was fleeting to the point that he brushed it off and said he was just imagining things. "He's just as tough as any Mando."

"Is that for me?" Ezra asked pointing at one of the fresh glasses of Tihaar that Sabine had brought.

"No, I've gotta catch up since you took my first drink. These are both for me" Sabine said with a teasing smirk. Ezra watched in awe as Sabine somehow managed to throw back the first drink as if it was a small shot and look graceful while doing it.

"Whoa." Ezra said before he could filter his response.

"What?" Sabine asked after setting down the empty glass.

"Uhh...nothing." Ezra said rubbing the back of his neck nervously. He had barely managed to catch himself before blurting out something stupid. What he really wanted to say was something about how beautiful she was no matter what she was doing whether it be fighting, painting, or evidently drinking as well.

"This one is for you, Ezra." Hera handed Ezra the glass flask that was about the size of his palm. "Sabine thought you might like it since you liked the Tahiir so much."

"Thanks, Sabine." Ezra looked at her and noticed her cheeks were flushed with a light pink color.

 _Must be the alcohol._ Ezra guessed. In fact he felt a warmness coming up his neck and cheeks as well as a calm buzz in his head that made the rest of his body feel relaxed. The alcohol was definitely starting to take effect.

"So what's this?" Ezra inspected the flask carefully and read the label. It read ' _Pretor Flats Spirits.'_

 _Pretor Flats._ Ezra recognized the name. It was one of the largest plains on Lothal. "This is from Lothal." Ezra remarked. Hastily, he unscrewed the top and took a sip of the liquor. It smelled sweet and didn't taste nearly as bitter as the other drinks but wasn't too sweet either. It was perfect.

"You like it?" Sabine asked. Ezra nodded his head in response.

"I love it." He answered taking another deeper sip from the drink and almost instantly feeling it's effects.

"Oh and it's fast acting so be careful." Hera warned Ezra. "Evidently people from Lothal don't like to wait to get drunk."

Ezra laughed and continued drinking albeit more slowly. Ezra and Zeb got the next round of drinks which, much to Ezra's surprise, was a stressful experience and took far too long. Regardless of the annoyance of getting drinks, the next hour was actually fun, and for a little while he didn't think of the Empire or Maul or his home. It was the first time on an Empire Day since his parents were taken away that Ezra Bridger was actually happy.

After finishing their third round of drinks. Hera and Sabine went to get the next and final round according to Hera much to the vocal disappointment of everybody else.

"Don't start any trouble while we're gone." Hera warned Zeb and Ezra before her and Sabine stepped away from the table.

"What could we possibly do to cause trouble in the time that they'll be gone?" Zeb asked.

"I don't know. Remember the time Hera sent us on a supply run in Lothal to get a Meiloorun?" Ezra reminded Zeb.

"We didn't cause that much trouble!" Zeb exclaimed.

"Zeb, we stole a TIE fighter, destroyed a farm stand, and attacked an Imperial troop convoy and all we got from it was a single Meiloorun."

"Hey keep it down, people don't need to overhear that." Zeb warned Ezra bringing a finger up to his lips to shush him.

"What are you kidding me? Nobody can hear us." Ezra swung his hands up as he spoke and lost his balance. He fell back and tried to regain his balance by stepping back but was too late. He stumbled back into somebody and heard something shatter at his feet.

 _Oh no._ Ezra cursed at himself for being so sloppy, he didn't realize just how drunk he had gotten.

"Hey, stoopa." Ezra felt a large hand grab him by the shoulder and swing him around. Broken glass crunched under his boots as a livid alien face came into his sight. A tall man with broad shoulders, white hair and entirely white eyes was who was holding Ezra.

"Whoa, what are you?" Ezra said without thinking. The man's face contorted even further expressing disgust at Ezra's question.

 _Idiot. Why did I say that?_ Ezra blamed the alcohol.

"I'm an Arkanian you fool, and you made me drop my drink."

"Hey. He didn't mean to, it was an accident." Zeb said as he stepped next to Ezra.

"Back away from me, filth." The Arkanian said to Zeb. Ezra looked behind their angry new friend that there were four other people who looked the same. White hair and white eyes, all surprisingly large and muscular.

"I'm giving you one chance." Zeb growled. "Take your hand off the kid and go back to what you were doing."

"We don't take orders from you. Our people are the pinnacle of evolution. You are our inferiors." One of the other Arkanians said. Ezra rolled his eyes at the alien's bigotry and arrogance.

 _Guess it's not just the empire that's racist._ Ezra wasn't in the mood for a fight but there were few things he hated as much as the Empire. Racists were one of them.

"Yeah well if your species is so evolved then how come you haven't evolved to not drop your drinks?" Ezra asked, he heard Zeb laughing next to him. The Arkanians did not enjoy Ezra's humor.

The leader then punched Ezra directly in the face knocking him back into the table. Ezra's vision went blank for a short moment then came back. He shook his head and tried to regain his senses. He heard a war cry that sounded like Zeb, then breaking glasses and tables. People being hit. Ezra turned around and saw the chaos that had unfolded at Zeb's hands in the mere seconds that he was out for the count. Two tables flipped over, an Arkanian already on the ground a few meters away amongst a pile of glass, chairs and people caught in the crossfire.

"Kid! You alright?" Zeb's face appeared directly in front of Ezra's line of sight.

"Yeah." Ezra answered.

"Good, I could use a hand here." Zeb said as three Arkanians grappled with Zeb trying to take him down and hit him. The leader charged at Ezra. Ezra ducked under the first punch then retaliated by hitting the arrogant idiot in the gut with a fist. The Arkanian doubled over but managed to push Ezra away before he could get in another hit.

"Zeb!" Ezra yelled as his comrade took two hits to the face while two Arkanians held his arms. Ezra sidestepped a drunken kick from his attacker and grabbed one of the people holding Zeb's arm. He brought up his cybernetic hand and punched the Arkanian as hard as he could. Under the strength of Ezra's arm, the Arkanian was thrown off of Zeb and down to the floor.

Zeb yelled again and with his free arm grabbed his attacker by the throat, lifting him off of the ground. "Kid watch out!" Ezra turned just in time to see Zeb throw the man he held into the leader who was once again charging Ezra. Both fell into the table that Ezra and Zeb had previously occupied knocking it over and causing the people near it to scatter.

Zeb quickly dealt the other remaining Arkanian holding his arm down. Ezra watched the thrown Arkanian stumble back to his feet and look at Ezra with a menacing glare.

"Really?" Ezra asked out loud. The Arkanian swung at Ezra and missed then instantly swung with surprising speed with his other hand hitting Ezra in the shoulder. Then a kick to the chest. Ezra fell back onto the floor then immediately saw the Arkanian come into his field of view, then his fist. Ezra rolled his head to the side just in time for the Arkanians fist to slam into the floor with a crack that sent a shiver up his spine.

The Arkanian screamed in pain and held his wounded hand to his chest. Ezra took advantage of his opponents distraction. He grabbed the Arkanian by the collar of his shirt and yanked him to the side. The Arkanian had only one good hand to try and balance himself and failed. Ezra rolled onto his feet then kicked the Arkanian in the side of his head, knocking him out cold.

"Nice one." Ezra heard Zeb say as the Lasat came to stand next to him and look down at the unconscious man.

"Thanks." Ezra replied. The two heard shuffling and groaning. They looked for the source of the sound and saw the leader of the Arkanians standing back up and looking at Ezra and Zeb with pure rage in his eyes. The kind of rage that said he wasn't going to give up despite the fact that all of his friends had.

The area of the bar had been cleared of bystanders at this point and Ezra was honestly surprised that security hadn't shown up yet. Ezra guessed that they were probably having trouble getting through the crowds and the fight had barely gone on for a minute at that point anyways.

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me." Ezra sighed. Ezra and Zeb watched in amazement as the Arkanian knelt down and picked up a broken bottle.

"I'm going to kill you both." The Arkanian yelled. Ezra and Zeb looked at each other in confusion, unsure of whether or not the Arkanian actually believed that. Before either of them could decide a thick glass bottle hit the man in the side of the head with a heavy thud. The Arkanian's eyes lost focus and his body swayed then he fell sideways onto the floor.

Ezra looked at where the bottle had came from and saw Sabine and Hera. Hera still had two drinks in her hands while Sabine only had one. "I can't believe you started a bar fight without me!" She yelled.

"Nice throw." Ezra responded.

"Yeah well somebody had to save you two from getting stabbed with a broken bottle."

"We had it under control!" Zeb protested.

"I said not to start any trouble! We were only gone for two minutes!" Hera yelled at Ezra and Zeb.

"Hey, we didn't start it!" Ezra said raising his hands in innocence. Then he pointed the unconscious leader. "He hit me first."

"You did knock his drink out of his hand." Zeb said.

"Who's side are you on?!" Ezra yelled at Zeb.

"We'll argue this later!" Hera said dropping both of her drinks and pointed towards the front entrance of the bar. Local security was pushing through the crowd and towards them. "Out the back door!"

* * *

It had been nearly an hour and a half since the bar fight. The Ghost crew had ditched the security that was chasing them in a massive crowd of people waiting for fireworks in a magnificent park a few blocks away from the bar.

To draw less attention, they had also split up and agreed to meet up at the place Ezra currently was. He sat alone on the roof of a large pagoda they were supposed to rendezvous at. He watched the empty night sky in a listful daze. There were no starships or clouds marring his view. There would be fireworks soon and he hoped that they would be on their way back to the Ghost by the time they started. They were most likely going to be Empire themed. Reds and whites with symbols of the Empire emblazoned across the sky wasn't really something Ezra looked forward to seeing.

He couldn't go anywhere though. He was early to the rendezvous and the fireworks would present the best opportunity they had to leave the park unnoticed by security or Imperials.

"Hey." Ezra heard Sabine's voice from behind him. He watched as she easily climbed over the ledge and onto the roof of the pagoda. He tried and failed to stop himself from admiring her slender form when he noticed her watching his eyes.

 _Damnit Ezra, stop doing that._ He lectured himself as Sabine sat next to him and let out a light sigh that made his heart melt. She sat so close to him that their hips and shoulders were touching. Her face was so close to his that he could see every color and detail in her irises.

 _She doesn't have feelings for you, never has. You don't need anything more than to be her friend._ He repeated the words in his head over and over like a mantra. It didn't help.

"You sure know how to pick them." Sabine said breaking the silence.

"Huh?" Ezra asked, his concentration on trying not to focus on Sabine's proximity was broken.

Sabine chuckled at Ezra's confused expression and gestured in front of them with an open hand.

"The views." She said. "You've got a good eye for them."

"Oh…" Ezra looked back at the scene in front of him. The roof of the pagoda peaked just over the canopy of trees surrounding it. The park extended for quite some time, clearings and ponds and statues all dispersed among it and beyond the park were skyscrapers all with unique designs and reaching as high as they could. Beyond and between the skyscrapers and above them was the night sky with no moon, only the stars. "...Thanks." Ezra said upon realizing just how attractive the view was.

"Fireworks should be starting in a few minutes." Sabine said.

"Yeah." Ezra replied solemnly.

"Hey, cheer up I'm sure there will be some pretty cool stuff in there aside from Imperial flags and colors." Sabine said in an upbeat voice. Then she reached into her jacket and pulled out two flasks that Ezra immediately recognized. It was the Pretor Flats Spirits from Lothal.

"How'd you get this?" Ezra asked incredulously as he opened up the flask and took a sip from it.

"Swiped it from the bar once everybody started paying attention to you and Zeb taking on those Arkanians." Sabine shrugged. "I'm still pissed you got in a bar fight without me by the way."

"Hey it wasn't on purpose!" Ezra exclaimed.

"Oh sure." Sabine said playfully and took another swig of her drink. "You did it without me because you knew that I would show you up."

"No you wouldn't." Ezra protested.

"Ezra," Sabine made Ezra make eye contact with her before she continued speaking. She was so close he could feel her breath on his neck. All he could think of doing was leaning down and kissing her. To tell her that he loved her and always had. "I've been practicing hand to hand combat since I could walk. I could totally show you up in a bar fight." Sabine said after what felt like a year of being entranced by her.

* * *

"I could totally show you up in a bar fight." Sabine finally managed to get out after being stuck in what felt like a time loop. He was right there in front of her, inches away.

 _That's what you came up with? Talking yourself up? Smooth, Sabine._ Sabine said before tearing her eyes away from Ezra's, his blue eyes that were her favorite color. Allowing herself some self pity, Sabine took a deep drink and finished off the flask. At the very least she had the benefit of the alcohol making her more self confident. That or just not caring as much about making a fool of herself in front of Ezra. She wasn't sure which one it was but she was sure that it helped.

"Fine." Ezra relented. "Maybe you could."

"That's more like it." Sabine teased with a little laugh. Without warning a high pitched whistling sound caught both of their attentions and alerted them to a firework shooting off into the sky. The first firework erupted with a deep boom and red tendrils of fire and sparks spouted out in different directions. The crowd in the park cheered and clapped. Five more fireworks quickly joined it all in different colors and then a massive single one came after.

It erupted with an astonishingly loud boom and ignited into the symbol of the Empire. Sabine instantly felt Ezra's spirits fall at the sight. Luckily though she knew what was coming next, and that it would put a smile on his face. Whoever was in charge of the fireworks really needed better security because Sabine, even while slightly drunk, had no problem sneaking around and making some major modifications to the fireworks. What she had done had taken an entire hour but luckily fireworks were even easier to work on than explosives so she was confident the results would be perfect.

The Imperial symbol faded then two more fireworks shot up in a line with equal distancing. At the same time, the fireworks erupted and both formed perfect symbols in the night sky. In two different colors, one in a burning orange and the other in a bright blue, the Phoenix symbol burned in the sky and held for a moment before slowly falling to the ground.

Sabine looked up at Ezra to see an awestruck look in his eyes.

"Told you it wouldn't all be Imperial stuff." She said. The widest smile she had ever seen came across his lips.

"Did you do this?" He asked.

"Happy birthday, Ezra Bridger." She said gently. She felt her heart beat in her chest increase ever so slightly at the look that he gave her. It made her feel like she was the only person in the galaxy.

"It's perfect." He said, she saw a look of uncertainty in his eyes then his cheeks blush as he fumbled over the next two words. "You're perfect."

Then her heart stopped, or felt like it did a backflip at least. Ezra did still have feelings for her. There was no questioning it for Sabine now. She fumbled for words trying to think of what to say but just ended up staring at him blankly as her mind ran a mile a minute.

"Uhh I mean-" Ezra started to backtrack.

 _Probably because I'm just blankly staring at him. Say something idiot!_ Sabine yelled at herself. More fireworks detonated above them snapping her out of her stupor. Sabine wasn't good with expressing emotions especially verbally.

 _Screw it._ Sabine said. In a strange moment of pure confidence Sabine grabbed Ezra putting a hand on each side of his face and kissed him. He didn't react at first but then she felt his lips move as well to kiss her back. His hand wrapped around her back sending a shiver up her spine that put butterflies in her stomach. She couldn't explain how it felt other than that it felt right. As if it was everything she ever wanted or needed in one single moment.

After a few more seconds Sabine gently pulled away and opened her eyes. Ezra looked down at her with a stunned but happy look on his face.

"What was that for?" Ezra asked. "Not that I'm complaining or anything! I really loved it. I've wanted to-"

"Shush." Sabine put her finger to his lips to get him to stop talking. It was adorable how nervous he was. She was too. Her body was shaking in fact, but she still had enough confidence to keep going, to finish what she started.

 _He is perfect._ Sabine said to herself. She ran her finger along his jaw and back up until her hand was on the side of his head again. Gently she ran her fingers through his hair.

"I feel the same way about you." She whispered. Leaning in she gave him another single gentle kiss. She took her time on the second one and allowed herself to actually appreciate it without her heart beating at a dangerously high rate.

"Where are Ezra and Sabine? They should be here." Sabine heard Zeb's voice below them. She pulled away from Ezra instinctively. She really didn't want Hera or Zeb to see this or know about it. She wasn't even sure how she wanted to handle it or deal with it, explaining things to others would only complicate the process.

"We should go." Ezra whispered solemnly. She could tell he didn't want to go just as much as she did. Everything was perfect the way it was. If they left, they would have to talk about it, it would become something real, and real things could be broken or destroyed. Sabine just wanted to enjoy as much of the moment as humanly possible and never let it go. But Ezra was right, they had to go.

"Yeah." Sabine sighed, she ran her hand back down Ezra's cheek and felt his hand sadly sliding off of her back. Even though it wasn't cold, the spot where Ezra had previously touched now felt naked and exposed. She couldn't explain why but now it felt wrong without him holding her.

"Can we talk once we're back on the Ghost and alone?" Ezra asked. Sabine instantly nodded in response. She was glad that she didn't want this to go unspoken and undiscussed any longer than he did.

"Good." Ezra smiled then leaned in and kissed Sabine once more on the lips. He lingered for a second and Sabine let him. She wanted him too. She knew things would be incredibly complicated, that they may not work, that Ezra might not feel the same way about her the more he learned about her past, but Sabine knew one thing and she was sure that Ezra did too. Everything about that moment was perfect.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed Empire Day as much as I enjoyed writing it! I'd like to make a special shout out to my Beta Reader .awesome17 for taking so much time out of her life to edit, fix mistakes, and make suggestions for this story. I couldn't do it without her and I am so thankful for her help that has brought us this far in the story!**


	13. Chasing Ghosts

_Last chapter on Phantoms of the Past: Ahsoka investigated Mauls operations in the under-city of Vorzyd V and found evidence of slave and spice trading. Ezra and Zeb bonded over moving on and Ezra and Sabine kissed after a night of drinking._

* * *

Chapter 12: Chasing Ghosts

"So…" Hera said out loud as the crew walked alongside each other out of the park. "How was it?" Ezra immediately tensed up at the question.

"How was what?" Ezra asked feeling a burning heat grow in his cheeks. Hera and Zeb didn't see him and Sabine kiss and the two hadn't told them. The last thing he wanted to do was either get teased by Zeb about it or talk to Hera about it.

Hera popped her head out of the line they all walked in and looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "Your birthday, Ezra. What else?"

"Oh!" Ezra exclaimed in relief. "Uhh it was great! I had a lot of fun." He said, realizing too late how awkward his answer sounded.

"Uhh...Okay." Hera shrugged and didn't question him any further much to his relief.

"Smooth." Sabine whispered and elbowed him in the ribs. Ezra winced in pain but immediately found himself grinning like a fool. In truth, nothing could kill his mood at that moment. He looked at Sabine in reverence, his smile only growing wider as he shrugged in response.

Sabine looked at him with narrowed eyes as if she was annoyed by his incapability to pretend nothing had happened between them. He didn't care because he knew Sabine, and just as he predicted, the tough demeanor in her sharp features quickly faded. Her eyes widened and relaxed, a bright sparkle of delight in them as she looked back ahead of her. Each step she took was perfectly graceful as if it was choreographed, but he could tell just by the extra bounce in her step how happy she was. She was as overwhelmed with joy and a sense of peace as he was. For once, even though the moment and the kisses they shared were private and brief, it felt like everything in Ezra's life had fallen into place despite, how much he knew that wasn't actually the case. Maul was still out there plotting, Kanan was also out there somewhere doing something, and the Empire still ruled the galaxy, but none of it mattered to Ezra, not while he had whatever it was that he had with Sabine.

"Hey!" Ezra and the rest of the crew all heard a stormtrooper yell from behind them. They all kept walking, doing their best to act inconspicuous and hope that the soldier was yelling at somebody else.

"Just keep walking." Ezra heard Hera mutter quietly. "Chances of them recognizing us are slim."

"Stop right there!" The voice yelled again. Ezra turned his head slightly to get a glimpse of who was yelling and if they were looking towards him and his friends. They were. Two local security guards, four stormtroopers, and an Imperial security droid. He knew that it was unlikely the troopers or droid would recognize them immediately but that wasn't the problem. The problem was the two security guards, Ezra recognized their faces. It was the same guards that chased them from the bar into the park.

"Slight problem." Ezra said. He picked up his pace a little bit. He heard the soldiers start running towards them. "They recognize us."

"Karabast." Zeb sighed.

"Run!" Hera yelled. The crew instantly broke into a run behind Zeb who either knocked people out of the way or caused them to dive out of the way for fear of his size.

"Stop them!" Ezra heard one of the security guards yell as he went into a full sprint. Civilian bystanders stared in a combination of awe and confusion as the crew sprinted through the streets desperately searching for an escape route.

"Out of the way!" Ezra heard Zeb growl as he bowled into a large man trying to stop him. The man was thrown to the ground by Zeb's massive weight and size.

"Sorry!" Ezra yelled as he jumped over the fallen vigilante.

Ezra and the crew followed Zeb to a three way intersection and turned right. Zeb stopped dead in his tracks causing Ezra and Hera to both run into him and nearly fall back.

"Damnit Zeb, move!" Ezra yelled as he looked back to see how close their pursuers were. Fifteen meters and closing.

"Can't go this way!" Zeb yelled as he turned on his heel and ran in the other direction.

"Oh that's not good." Ezra remarked at seeing a whole other squad of stormtroopers walking towards them. It appeared they were simply on patrol but that didn't matter because they seemed to immediately recognize that the crew was running from trouble.

Ezra turned and followed Zeb back down the other way. They sprinted through a crowded plaza all looking for a way to escape their pursuers but everywhere they looked, more security or imperials appeared. This wasn't like any of the other planets they had been to and it was Empire day. Likely every single Imperial on the planet was on duty tonight Ezra realized all too late.

After only a short burst of running, they ran out of places to flee to. The plaza ended abruptly at a ledge with a tall guardrail. Zeb and Ezra both ran to the edge to see if there was anything below them to jump too. There was another platform but it was easily a fifty yard drop.

 _I could make that. But nobody else could._ Ezra cursed as he turned back to the plaza to see soldiers closing from all sides. Bystanders cleared the area, all watching the Imperials and the Ghost crew as tension filled the air. Ezra could feel the apprehension and fear in the force as the citizens tentatively watched the events unfold.

"All this for a bar fight?" Zeb asked.

"They've probably recognized us by now." Sabine muttered. Ezra looked to Sabine watching her carefully. He could tell she was calculating how quickly she could pull out her hidden pistol and start firing, even if it would mean death. Ezra knew she was smarter than that though and decided it wasn't worth it.

Ezra sighed and shook his head. The soldiers were only twenty or so meters away now and forming a semi circle around them. There was no escape. He knew he could jump and make it to the next platform down, but he couldn't leave the others behind.

 _Maybe I don't have to._ Ezra quickly backed up to the ledge and looked over the rail down to the next platform. He smiled at seeing the familiar sight as a plan quickly formulated in his mind. It needed to be done quickly though which means there was no time to explain it to the others. Ezra pulled himself up onto the ledge.

"Ezra!" Sabine yelled in a panic as she reached out to him trying to pull him back down. He could see a fear in her eyes that he had never seen before. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'll be right back." Ezra reassured her. "Trust me." He smiled before stepping back off of the ledge and letting himself fall.

* * *

Sabine tried grabbing Ezra before he stepped off of the ledge but just missed him. He quickly disappeared from view prompting her to fumble and nearly fall over the rail herself. She felt her heart stop in her chest at seeing him fall. It was only when he quickly slowed and landed on the platform below them with ease that she remembered he could slow himself down with the force before landing.

"He's fine." She heard Hera sigh next to her as Ezra quickly jogged out of their line of sight below them. "But what is he doing?"

"I don't know!" Sabine answered in frustration as she turned back to the Imperials that were nearly on them now. "But he's gonna wish he died in that fall once I'm done with him." She growled before raising her fists and falling into a defensive stance.

Arrest was imminent but that didn't mean she wouldn't at least put up a fight first. Hera and Zeb did the same, both preparing and hoping to take out a few stormtroopers as well.

Sabine heard the noise of turbojet engines idling extremely close to her. In a confused stupor she turned to the source of the noise to see a four seater open cockpit airspeeder hovering at the rail exactly where Ezra had jumped from.

In the driver seat much to Sabine's relief and annoyance was Ezra. Her annoyance was mostly due to the smug look on his face.

"Everybody in now!" Hera jumped into the passenger seat while Sabine sat behind Ezra and Zeb next to her.

Ezra quickly pulled the speeder away from the railing and down as the stormtroopers began to fire at them.

"Who taught you how to hotwire a speeder?" Hera asked as Ezra pushed the speeder into full speed knocking Sabine back into her seat.

"Ahsoka." Ezra shrugged yelling over the wind whipping at their faces.

"Remind me to thank her then!" Zeb yelled as Ezra took a sharp turn into a narrow speedway that took them lower and deeper into the city.

Flashing colored lights and a constant spotlight shined on them from behind as soon as they turned. Sabine looked back to see what she could only assume was a local police speeder but it looked like there were Imperials driving it.

"We've got company!" Sabine yelled as a red blaster bolt shot from their followers speeder and flew over her head by just a foot.

"Their police vehicles have weapons here?! Seriously?!" She heard Ezra yell as he swerved knocking Sabine into Zeb.

"Ugh Ezra!" Hera yelled in protest of the reckless driving.

"Sorry!" Ezra yelled back.

"Move back, let me drive!" Hera exclaimed. "You're too drunk!"

"I'm not drunk!" Ezra protested.

"Is now the best time for this?" Sabine yelled as another shot grazed the side of the speeder and knocked them to the side a bit.

"How many fingers am I holding up then?" Sabine heard Hera say.

"Two!" Ezra immediately responded.

"You didn't even look!"

"Of course not! I'm trying to drive, Hera!" Ezra yelled back. Hera fell silent, Sabine couldn't help but laugh just a little at the ridiculousness of the situation.

 _All of us are slightly drunk, in a stolen speeder, and fleeing from trigger happy Imperials. How are we even still alive?_

"Get us out of their line of fire!" Hera commanded Ezra.

"I'm trying!" Ezra responded. Sabine watched him take a hand off of the control and reach into his jacket. He handed his hidden blaster back to Zeb who quickly took it. Sabine grabbed her own pistol and both her and Zeb turned in their seats and started firing back at the Imperials. It was hard to get an accurate shot off but it was enough to at least motivate their pursuers to back off slightly. She squeezed the trigger methodically, taking aim before each shot trying to aim at the windshield or the gun hoping to disable it.

"I've never been so glad that you two didn't listen to me about bringing weapons!" Hera said.

"Hey, I've never listened to that rule." Sabine said. Another shot from the Imperials hit the side closest to Sabine sending molten hot shrapnel flying.

" _Osik!"_ Sabine screamed in her native tongue as a piece of said shrapnel grazed the back of her neck in searing pain.

"Sabine!" She heard Ezra yell over the din of gunfire as the Imperials fired again. Sabine pressed her hand on the back of her neck and felt the cut as warm blood poured from it.

"I'm fine." Sabine comforted Ezra before pointing ahead of them with a bloodied hand. "Watch where you're going!" Ezra turned just in time to dodge another airspeeder and take a sharp turn onto a narrow street.

The speeder suddenly dropped a few meters without warning and lurched heavily before decreasing in speed.

"Uhh what's happening?" Ezra asked frantically. Sabine heard a rattling and sputtering noise coming from the engine. She looked back behind her to see that one of the primary engines had been hit by a large piece of shrapnel.

"Engine's hit!" Sabine yelled.

"Well that's just great!" Ezra yelled back as the speeder dropped entirely. Sabine's stomach lurched in protest at the sudden fall. She gripped the seat in front of her as tightly as her hands could.

After a brief second of weightlessness the speeder crashed onto the street. The speeder skidded against the metal in a ear piercing grinding noise that would have made Sabine cringe if the shock from the landing hadn't done so already.

The speeder grinded to a halt after a few moments. Sabine shook her head to try and ditch the daze that came with the high speed impact.

"Everybody alright?" She heard Hera ask. Everybody sounded off quickly.

"Fine." Ezra said.

"Good here." Sabine said.

"Nice landing, kid." Zeb teased.

"Oh like you could have done better?" Ezra asked. The bright spotlight of the police speeder shined down on them causing Sabine to shield her eyes briefly.

"Everybody out!" Hera yelled. Sabine scrambled over the side of the speeder and onto the street, grateful to have her feet back on solid ground. As far as high speed chases went, that was probably her least favorite one.

"We can lose them in there!" Sabine yelled pointing at narrow alleyway between a few exhaust vents. She immediately took off towards the intended escape root with Zeb, Hera, and Ezra close on her heels.

 _Hopefully we'll be able to lose them in here._

* * *

The stormtroopers were still on their tail. Ezra could hear them as they ran through the series of alleyways, none of them had any idea where they were but they at least had the benefit of their pursuers only being on foot.

He was starting to tire and he knew everybody else was as well. They were lost in a maze of maintenance tunnels in back alleys. Without a map and while still being chased there was no getting out. Sabine had the lead in a slow jog which slowly turned into a walk.

"We need to find a way out of here." Ezra heard Hera say through strained breaths behind him. Sabine stopped moving and leaned against a wall. Ezra placed his hands up on his head and inhaled deeply and slowly to try and center himself and regain his breath.

"They'll find us in a few minutes if we don't find a place to lay low off of the streets." Zeb warned.

"Well, any ideas?" Sabine asked. Zeb answered but Ezra didn't hear what he said, something distracted him. A feeling, as if something or somebody was calling out to him. It felt familiar, welcoming, and it felt safe.

Ezra closed his eyes as Hera spoke again and Sabine replied. His companions erupted into argument while he tuned out their voices. He ignored the sound of approaching stormtroopers, their armored boots hitting the metal flooring and their blasters as they swiped through the air. He reached out further until he felt only that feeling. It was like a beacon calling him forward. He couldn't explain or tell what it was but it promised safety and it showed him the way.

Ezra opened his eyes as suddenly as he had closed them. During his trance he had moved a few feet down the alleyway and was looking down a narrow maintenance shaft that was only a few feet tall.

"Ezra?" He heard Sabine say. He looked to Sabine, Hera, and Zeb, all of them had confused expressions on their faces.

"This way." Ezra said blankly. The feeling scratched at his mind now, beckoning him into the dark corridor. Ezra ducked into the shaft and started slowly making his way through it with the others in tow. He was glad none of them bothered to ask because he really didn't know how to explain the feeling. It was like a very specific place was calling to him like a whistle called an animal or how magnets attracted metal.

After a few minutes of ducking under vent shafts and crawling over piping, Ezra came to a small ventilation grate that led into a dark hallway. He couldn't see much in the hallway except for one notable feature. A painting of the phoenix symbol on the wall across from him.

 _Is this where the Rebels are? Is that why I was drawn here?_ Ezra gently pressed his cybernetic hand against the corner of the grate then pushed. It groaned under the stress then gave way allowing Ezra and the rest of the crew to climb out into the hallway.

"Is that?" Sabine pointed at the phoenix symbol.

"Yup." Ezra said as he apprehensively walked towards the door at the end of the hallway. He could feel there were people on the other side but the same feeling drew him forward. Whatever it was that felt so familiar was in that room. Slowly, he activated the door and let it slide open. He was instantly greeted with a dimly lit large room with all sorts of graffiti, tech, and weapons lining the walls. The most notable being the graffiti that was filled with all sorts of anti-empire, pro rebellion sentiments.

"What the-" Ezra heard a man say. He looked to his right to see five people scrambling for weapons and aiming at them.

"Whoa whoa!" Ezra raised his hands up in surrender. "We're friendly." He assured them.

"Well we're not. Now how did you find this place?" One of the men asked.

"We're with the rebellion." Hera said as she stepped forward and in front of Ezra. "We were sent here to investigate new rebel activity, and I'm willing to take a bet that you are the people we're looking for."

Ezra watched carefully, letting Sabine get past him as well as she prepared to fire her pistol in case things went south.

"Even if we were rebels." The man said after a brief pause, he readjusted his rifle aiming it at Hera now. "How would we know to trust you?"

"Relax, Trev." Ezra heard a woman say. It was a familiar voice that he couldn't quite place. He saw a silhouette of a person standing up from a chair further back in the corner of the room. "We can trust them."

"How do you know?" The man named Trev asked.

"Because I've always trusted Ezra Bridger." She said.

"How do you know my name?" Ezra asked.

Ezra saw her step out of the shadow. Upon seeing her, it dawned on him just where he knew that voice from and what that feeling calling him was. It wasn't exactly the call of safety but of home, or his version of home as an orphaned pickpocket. His childhood best friend. Or more than that, he was never really sure. She disappeared before they ever really got the chance to figure it out.

She was tall with long dark red hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, she had pale skin, a narrow face, and green eyes.

Ezra stuttered as a knot formed in his throat. He couldn't believe his own eyes. "S-Sera?"

Sera gave him a warm smile that confirmed it was truly her.

"Hey, Ez. Happy birthday."

* * *

Ahsoka walked down the street cautiously watching every possible avenue of approach. She was only a few blocks away from the abandoned warehouse of horrors that she had recently investigated and still felt sick to her stomach from what she had seen there. She was even more scared of what she would find on the data from the security cams. What data she could scrounge up was highly corrupted but she held onto hope that maybe Sabine or Chopper could clean it up and that it would have some answers on where to look next for Maul. It was a long shot but it was that or the trail was dead.

"Hey." Ahsoka heard a raspy voice whisper to her. A skinny man came into view from a poorly lit alley. His clothes were so baggy that Ahsoka wondered if they originally belonged to a member of a much larger species. "You looking to buy?" The man asked, his eyes lighting up with glee.

Ahsoka stopped herself from instinctually saying no as she realized the potential opportunity. "I'm not looking for death sticks." She answered after a quick calculation of odds, she started to walk away hoping her bluff would work.

"What about spice?" The man offered desperately. "I've got good stuff! Polstine spice." Ahsoka stopped in her tracks. She fought back the urge to smirk at her sudden turn of fortune. Polstine Spice was rare enough that there was likely only one dealer in the entire star system.

"Now that, I am looking for." Ahsoka said turning back towards the dealer and walking towards him. The dealer could have been lying about having Polstine spice but she would soon find out, and if he was telling the truth then maybe she could find where Maul's employees had moved to.

 _Maybe the trail isn't dead after all._

* * *

"Wait, you two know each other?" Hera asked in disbelief as everybody lowered their weapons. Ezra's eyes never left Sera, he was still entirely in shock and could barely believe his eyes.

"Yeah." Ezra mindlessly answered Hera, not even hearing his own voice.

"Mind filling us in on how exactly?" He heard Sabine ask.

"We-" Ezra had to force himself to think of each word before speaking, his mind was flooding with memories so much so that it made it difficult for him to tell the difference between the past and present. "We were friends back on Lothal."

"We were Loth-rats and we were _best_ friends." Sera said, her voice rang in Ezra's ears reminding him of the first time that Sera had called him Loth-rat teasingly. "We were both orphans on the streets of Lothal. Pickpockets, to be precise."

"And then you disappeared." Ezra said feeling a sense of betrayal boil up in his chest.

"I was arrested and taken to the spice mines of Kessel, Ezra!" Sera told him.

"Well you escaped and came here! How come you didn't come home? Why didn't you come find me?!" Ezra yelled.

"Okay...Maybe we should give you two some privacy." Hera interrupted after Ezra's outburst.

"Agreed." Sera said, her voice speaking volumes of how angry she was. Ezra didn't care, all he could think of was how she had disappeared and never came back. Sera knew what happened to his parents, he had no idea how she could do something like that to him.

"Come on." Trev said to his and Ezra's compatriots. "We'll show you around."

"Let's go." Hera nodded to Zeb and Sabine indicating that they follow Trev with her. Sabine remained planted in her spot for a moment, reluctant to follow Hera's orders. Ezra knew why but there wasn't much he could say to Sabine to convince her not to worry. She was just trying to protect him from somebody who had hurt him but he had to do this on his own. Ezra nodded to Sabine silently telling her it was okay.

Sabine held a look of defeat as her shoulders slumped but she acknowledged Ezra's request much to Ezra's relief. He knew it would be easier to have Sabine there with him supporting him, but it would only complicate things.

Sabine, Hera, and Zeb followed the rest of the rebels out of the room and into another, leaving Ezra and Sera alone.

"I did look for you, Ezra." Sera said as she walked towards him slowly. Ezra wanted to take a step back at first, it still felt so unreal that she was alive. The pain felt real though, the pain of being betrayed by somebody who meant so much to him. "I went back two years ago but you were gone. All I could find about you were rumors and bounties by the Empire. Nobody knew where you were. Everytime I went to investigate another lead you were already gone." Tears welled up in her emerald eyes. "After a year it felt like I was just chasing a ghost."

"I-" Ezra looked down at the floor shamefully upon realizing how unfair he was being. "I'm sorry." He said. "I thought you were dead, I looked for you for months but then I joined the rebellion."

"It's alright, Ez. You didn't know." Sera said closing the gap between him and wrapping him in a hug. Ezra allowed himself to be enveloped in his friend's arms and hugged her back. He knew now that he held her in his arms that it had to all be real. Sera, his childhood best friend, a person whose memory he had pushed all the way back into the recesses of his brain was alive and right there in front of him.

"I should have known. I should have kept looking for you." He said.

"I'm glad you didn't." He heard Sera say. It felt so good to hear her voice again, he had almost forgotten what it sounded like entirely. It felt different than when he last saw her though, it didn't have the same life and energy to it, it didn't sound like music to his ears or bring him as much joy as it used to. "You never would have found me." Sera said pulling away from the hug with Ezra to make eye contact.

"So what happened?" Ezra asked. Sera inhaled deeply and let out a heavy sigh that bore the signs of what looked like years of non-stop exhaustion. She gestured towards some foldable chairs in the corner of the room. Ezra nodded and went to sit down adjacent to her.

"I stole a food crate from an Imperial convoy before they left the city." Sera explained. "I figured we'd be able to eat for a month from it. It was too good to pass up. Only it turned out not to be a food shipment."

"What was it?" Ezra asked. The muscles in Sera's shoulder tensed and her eye's illuminated with fury at recalling the memory.

"A Twi'lek slave girl in a cargo container." She growled. "Turns out that one of the officers at the Imperial Academy had a penchant for Twi'lek women and he didn't take kindly to me releasing his property. So instead of arresting me or having me executed, he had me sent to Kessel as his sick version of punishment."

"The life expectancy on Kessel is weeks at best even for a Wookiee. How did you manage to survive?" Ezra asked.

"Luck mostly." Sera explained. "And I was good for fitting into small spaces so they didn't work me as hard as everybody else."

"And then you escaped?" Ezra asked.

"Yeah, managed to steal a ship with some others during an uprising." Sera said. "We all split up, I came back to Lothal. I looked for you, couldn't find you, then eventually I ended up here. I saw what was happening here with the Empire restricting gambling and hurting both the wealthy and the poor and…" Sera shrugged as if unsure of her own reasoning. "I just couldn't take it anymore. It just hit me that I had enough, them taking your parents away, what they did to Lothal, all of the horrible things they're doing to people on Kessel. I had to do something. So I found Trev and the others and we started fighting back."

"And how's that going?" Ezra asked. "The fighting back I mean. That's what we came here for was to investigate you guys and see if you wanted to join the larger rebellion."

"It's slow going…" Sera sighed. "We've got supplies and weapons and even a light freighter ship but that won't do us any good on a city planet like this. We need people, but everybody is too scared of the Empire."

"We had the same problem on Lothal." Ezra sympathized. He knew all too well that the biggest struggle was simply getting people to stand up and fight back, it wasn't a war based on supplies, ships, or weapons. It was a war based on hope. "They'll come around." Ezra said placing a reassuring hand on Sera's shoulder. "You just need to give them time and to show them that it's worth fighting back. That there's real hope for a better future."

"Yeah…" Sera said. The anger and frustration faded in her eyes, replaced at least with a sliver of hope. It wasn't quite what Ezra had hoped to achieve but it was better than nothing. She placed her hand on Ezra's, a gesture that he would have appreciated and been excited about years ago. Instead it just made him uncomfortable, it confirmed to him what he already knew. The spark that he once had with her was gone. That didn't mean he didn't care for her. They had spent years together on the streets of Lothal, that was a bond that would never be broken. It was just that his heart was somewhere else now and he was okay with that.

Ezra wanted to talk more to his long lost friend but decided that it could wait. He could feel that Hera, Sabine, and even Zeb were all worried about him. They were his family now which meant that assuring them that he was okay couldn't wait.

"I'm going to go talk to everybody else." Ezra explained as he stood up from the chair. Sera stood up as well and hugged him again. "It's good to have you back." He said shakily to her.

"You too. Don't take too long, you and I have some catching up to do." Sera said to Ezra who nodded with a nervous laugh. He wasn't even sure where to begin explaining everything that had happened to him over the past years. Now that he actually looked back at it, it all seemed entirely ridiculous like some made up story. Nonetheless, he started thinking of where to begin.

"Yeah, looking forward to it."

* * *

"Hey." Ezra walked into the room while Sabine cleaned her blaster.

"Hey." Sabine replied. Her voice was pitched as if she was on edge or nervous, Ezra couldn't tell. Her eyes were focused intently on her hands as they deftly dismantled the weapon.

The wound on her neck from earlier was still exposed and uncleaned, either she had forgotten about it entirely or was choosing to neglect it.

Ezra grabbed what looked like a medkit from on top of a supply crate and knelt down behind Sabine. He wasn't sure what to say, how to even begin to talk about everything that had happened over the course of the past hour. The kiss with Sabine, him being reckless and nearly jumping to his death, now Sera seemingly coming back from the dead. So instead of talking he just did what came naturally, his instinct to take care of Sabine.

He sighed heavily then struggled with the latches on the med-kit. His good hand was shaking making it difficult to open.

"Shit." He muttered before taking another deep breath as he held his shaking hand with his cybernetic one.

 _Just find your center, Ezra. Just like Kanan and Ahsoka taught you._

Ezra closed his eyes for a moment and desperately searched for his center, to try and calm his nerves. It was all too much to handle. His mind immediately went to when Sera went missing, to Kanan leaving, to desperately searching for Sabine in the forest of Kashyyyk, all he could feel was fear, anger, and frustration.

He felt a hand lay itself over his and squeeze it gently. Ezra opened his eyes to see Sabine's hand over his. She looked at him with a warm comforting look in her eyes. He felt his eyes brim with tears and blinked repeatedly to try stem the tide.

 _You're perfect._ Ezra wanted to say to Sabine for possibly the third time that night but he couldn't find the words. He was able to center himself though, just the warmth of Sabine's hand was enough to comfort him, to remind him of happiness and of how he simply felt at peace when he was with her.

Having calmed himself with the help of Sabine, Ezra inhaled deeply then let out the breath. His heart calmed down and his hands steadied.

"Thanks." Ezra said sheepishly, embarrassed that he was so easily shaken.

"No problem." Sabine smiled. Ezra opened the medkit and got out what he needed to clean Sabine's wound.

"Look down so I can clean this cut." Ezra said shifting himself so that he had better access. Sabine silently complied and Ezra immediately went to cleaning the wound first by wiping away the blood then using an antiseptic to prevent infection.

"Might leave a scar." Ezra said after a few minutes of work and putting a bandage over it. Sabine turned to face him and shrugged innocently.

"I've already got quite a few of those, I'll live." Sabine said.

"Fair enough." Ezra chuckled. "By that mentality then I guess I shouldn't worry about all of mine."

"Definitely not. Scars are the sign of a warrior, they look good on you." Sabine replied with a light chuckle as Ezra blushed. It felt good and right but still alien to have Sabine be so open with him, especially when it came to an attraction to him that he had no idea about until an hour earlier.

The room became silent as neither of them were sure what to say to each other. Ezra didn't even have an inkling of an idea on where to begin but he knew that they needed to talk. Sabine went back to cleaning her blaster while Ezra decided to put the contents of the Medkit back into its container.

"So that's her?" Sabine said as more of a statement than a question. She looked up from her blaster and up to Ezra. "The girl you told me about while we were on Kashyyyk."

"Yeah." Ezra said running his hand through his hair nervously and averting his eyes from her pointed look. He imagined this was just as difficult for Sabine as it was for him.

 _But it shouldn't be difficult._ Ezra thought to himself.

 _It should be simple. I love Sabine, I have since the day I met her. I don't have feelings for Sera anymore._ Ezra realized upon saying that to himself that Sabine didn't know that. All she knew was that a girl who he used to have feelings for just came back into his life after years of him thinking she was dead.

"Sabine-"

"-Ezra," Sabine interrupted. "I understand if you want to end whatever this is."

"What?" Ezra asked slightly taken aback by her proposal. "No. I want to work out...whatever it is that we have." He said. "Sera and I had something a long time ago but we were just kids, and I've changed since then and so has she. I want to be with you." He said in a strange moment of clarity, Ezra had never been good with expressing his feelings with words but for some reason that came easy. "Sera will always be my friend but nothing more. She's not you, Sabine." Ezra added on.

Sabine smiled as the tense features of her face relaxed and her eyes brightened with relief. Without warning she grabbed Ezra by the shoulder and pulled him in for another kiss. It was just as electric as the first time. The urgency in the kiss quickly faded as he felt Sabine relax, slowly she pulled away.

"We never got to have that talk." She whispered, her eyes still closed as if she was still living in the memory of the kiss.

"Maybe we can now." Ezra said. "Although to be honest I have no idea where to even start."

"Me neither." Sabine laughed, the noise of her joy sounded like music in Ezra's ears. It was just what he needed after everything they had just been through.

The moment was killed, however, when a foreboding tone played over Ezra's commlink. Three consecutive tones alternating in pitch that only meant one thing. It was an emergency beacon.

Ezra cursed silently at the poor timing and his inability to catch a break. "Looks like we're going to need to wait for that talk again." Ezra said as he stood up. "Ahsoka's in trouble." He extended a hand to help Sabine stand up. "You with me?"

Sabine smiled and took his hand enthusiastically. As she stood up she only said one word, it was all they needed in a mostly unspoken relationship like theirs.

"Always."

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for the late chapter again! Next weeks should hopefully be on time. As always please review and thank you for reading! And yes I know it's unlikely that Ezra would have had a romantic interest or even friend during his days as a pickpocket because there has never been any hint of that being the case whatsoever. Of course I know he was friends with Moreena Krai and also the man who taught him to pickpocket but they just didn't really fit, but this character is important for where I'm taking Ezra and I always found it strange that Ezra had no pickpocketing orphan friends like himself. So now he has one.**

 **Once again I would like to thank my beta reader .Awesome.17 for fixing all of my dumb grammar errors.**


	14. Search and Rescue

_Last chapter on Phantoms of the Past: Ahsoka found a new potential lead on Maul's spice operations. The Ghost crew stumbled upon the Vorzyd V rebels to find that they were being led by Sera, an old friend of Ezra's. Ezra and Sabine were interrupted by a distress signal from Ahsoka before they had the chance to discuss their feelings._

* * *

Chapter 13: Search and Rescue

Ahsoka stepped lightly down the alley and towards the rear entrance of the building that the drug dealer had told her about. Getting the information was easier than she had expected. He was surprisingly weak-willed and she was able to convince him to part with the information on where his supplier was based in a matter of seconds. She was impressed with herself and found herself wondering what the cause of it was.

 _Maybe it's not just Ezra's powers growing. Mine are still growing as well._

At the moment though, it didn't matter. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of yelling coming from the building she was walking towards. She hunched down and fell into the shadows behind a dumpster just in time to see the door to the building grind open as if it was opened by force. The door groaned and bent as sparks flew out from the control mechanism. A young Bothan girl no older than sixteen jumped through the threshold and ran directly by Ahsoka. Her eyes were wide with fear and she panted heavily as if she had been fighting or already running for a long time.

"After her!" Ahsoka heard a man yell from the building. Three mercenaries ran by Ahsoka chasing the girl. The soldiers passed by without noticing Ahsoka who quickly recognized their outfit as the same of the mercenaries on Thabeska.

 _Well at least I'm in the right place._ Ahsoka said to herself.

The open door left an opportunity for Ahsoka to sneak in unnoticed but her conscience couldn't go without helping the girl first. It was likely that the girl could answer some of Ahsoka's questions anyways. Knowing that the future encounter had the potential to turn into a fight, Ahsoka pressed her distress beacon to let Ezra know she needed help then took off into a run after the mercenaries.

* * *

After a five minute chase, Ahsoka had managed to catch up to both the mercenaries and the Bothan girl. They were both inside a two story warehouse which Ahsoka now prepared to enter upon hearing signs of a struggle.

Ahsoka stepped into the empty warehouse with her weapons ready. The entire first floor was empty save for stay pieces of garbage while the second floor consisted of catwalks above her head. She saw two soldiers grappling with the young girl while another one aimed a blaster at her from a distance.

"Get off of me!" Ahsoka heard the girl scream in protest then the sound of something hitting a helmet.

"Damnit!" One of the soldiers yelled in response to being kicked in the head.

"I'd listen to her." Ahsoka said alerting the soldiers to her presence. One of the soldiers threw the girl down to the ground while the other two raised their blasters and aimed at Ahsoka. She prepared to activate her sabers but the mercs didn't fire.

The Bothan girl huddled on the floor while the soldier who threw her down stepped over her and towards Ahsoka.

"You're going to want to rethink that tone." He said, his voice was so filled with confidence that it made Ahsoka feel sick to her stomach.

"And why's that?" Ahsoka asked as she activated both of her lightsabers at her sides. The white light illuminated her surroundings and made her orange skin glow in a ghostly way. The comfort given to her by the familiar hum of energy was offset by the sound and feeling of being surrounded. She looked up above her to see at least ten more soldiers lined up along the catwalks all aiming at her. She felt more come in behind her and saw another squad come in behind the soldiers and the Bothan girl.

It was all a trap. Ahsoka considered that the girl was in on it but she still seemed too scared meaning that she was likely forced to carry out the plan.

"Because we've been expecting you, Ahsoka Tano." The soldier said with confidence.

 _I suppose that makes me the overconfident one then._ Ahsoka reprimanded herself for such a foolish mistake. Obi-wan had always stressed the importance of not rushing in head-first and checking for traps and hazards first. All she had seen was the girl in danger and forgot to pay attention to anything else.

"What do you want?" Ahsoka asked upon realizing the scale of the situation. They could have killed her two times over by that point but didn't, which means they laid this trap to get something from her.

"The sith holocron." The soldier demanded.

"I don't have it." Ahsoka answered firmly. The soldier instantly turned and kicked the girl in the ribs causing her to cry out in pain and curl up into a ball. Ahsoka stepped forward to try and protect the girl but was reminded of her situation when a blaster fired directly in front of her feet. The leader turned back from the now crying girl with a fiery anger in his eyes.

"Don't lie to me." He said pulling a blaster pistol out of his holster and aiming it at the girl. "Give it to me, or I shoot her in a different limb every ten seconds."

Ahsoka shut her eyes for a moment, cursing her fate that she had to be put in this situation. There was no question about what she had to do but that didn't make it easy. She understood the power that the Sith holocron held, but she couldn't let an innocent child die for her. It simply went against every molecule in her body to do such a thing.

It wasn't however, against the soldier's nature to torture an innocent person to get what he wanted.

 _He doesn't just want it. He needs it._ Ahsoka thought to herself.

"Ten!" The soldier yelled. She could feel he was anxious and possibly even scared.

 _He's scared of Maul._ Ahsoka realized which made the man's threats hold even more power in her mind. Anger and greed were always good motivators for making people do terrible things, but fear was on an entirely different level.

"Nine!" He said with just as much venom as the last number.

"I'll tell you where it is! Or I'll take you to it!" Ahsoka finally said. "Just let her go." She felt the relief in the poor girl upon hearing her answer, it was a brief but appreciated break in the growing tide of shame that loomed in Ahsoka's mind.

"She can go once we verify you're not lying to us." The leader shifted his aim from the girl to Ahsoka, levelling the barrel at her head with a steady hand. "Now talk."

Ahsoka sighed once more and felt sick to her stomach as she forced the words out of her mouth. "It's on my ship. Upper city, docking bay GB-9267. It's a Corellian ship. The holocron is in the second maintenance hatch behind a food crate in the cargo bay."

The leader activated his comm link and repeated the instructions to whoever was on the other side. "Let me know when you have it secured."

* * *

"Hera!" Ezra said to Hera as he and Sabine quickly stumbled into the main room. Hera and Zeb were talking with Sera, Trev, and a few other local rebels but all stopped upon being interrupted by Ezra's interruption.

"Distress signal from Ahsoka." He said frantically. "We need to go now!"

"Where is she?" Zeb asked.

"We've got a trace on her signal, she's a lot further down in the city." Sabine said. "Sub level 14."

"Damnit. It'll take us half an hour to get there with the Imperials searching for us." Hera sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Well we have to do something!" Ezra protested. He saw the logic in Hera's statement but that didn't make it any easier for him to swallow. Ahsoka needed his help, that was all that mattered to him. After everything she had done for him he would do anything for his friend and letting her get hurt or possibly killed wasn't an option. He had already lost one teacher and friend in Kanan and that was only temporary, he hoped. Ezra refused to let that be the case with Ahsoka as well.

"I can get you there in ten minutes." Sera said. The Ghost crew stared at her with confused looks.

"Great, tell us where to go." Sabine said to Sera who laughed in response. Ezra saw Sabine's eyes flicker with annoyance and her body tensed up at the sight of Sera's response, everybody in the room knew immediately that Sabine didn't like Ezra's old friend.

"You'll all get lost." Sera said with a shrug. "Look I know this city and I know how to move fast. I know none of you trust me because we just met but the way I see it, I'm your only option."

Ezra could see that everybody was still unconvinced and quite frankly was far too impatient to wait any longer. "We can trust her and she's right we don't have any other choice. We need to go now and get there as quickly as possible." Hera's eyes flicked with uncertainty but then came back with resolute tone. Ezra quietly celebrated knowing Hera agreed with him, her word was law.

"Alright." Hera gestured towards Sera. "lead the way."

* * *

Ahsoka had her eyes closed as she meditated. She sat on her knees, hands firmly placed on each thigh. Her lightsabers had been confiscated and were now hung at the belt of the leader. Her heart beat methodically in her chest as she prepared for the fight she knew was coming.

It had been ten minutes since she had sent Ezra the signal and she worried that he wouldn't make it in time. She had no way of knowing where he was and he had no way of knowing what he was walking into.

A warning in the force sent a tingle of electricity down her spine. Her eyes shot open as she re-examined her surroundings. Still a squad behind her and in front of her as well as the leader with the girl whose whimpering had adjusted to a silent quiver. The mercenaries above her lining the catwalks were still silently aiming for her as they all waited for confirmation from whoever they sent to search the Ghost.

A familiar noise of something being rolled alerted Ahsoka to the beginning of what the force had warned her about. A small cylindrical canister bounced, landed, and rolled for a few more feet. Ahsoka recognized what it was before everybody else did. A flashbang. She shut her eyes and clapped her hands over her ears just in time for the high pitched detonation and blinding flash of light that shined through her closed eyelids.

Uncovering her ears, Ahsoka heard a cacophony of blaster fire and looked behind her to see Ezra, Hera, Sabine, Zeb, and a young woman likely no older than Ezra all opening fire on the mercenaries.

Ezra shot a mercenary on the catwalk who fell over the railing and onto the floor screaming. He then immediately turned into a sprint towards Ahsoka with an open hand to help her up. He ducked under and rolled past two blaster bolts that otherwise would have hit him as Ahsoka turned back to the leader with an open hand. She willed her lightsabers to come back to her and the force instantly complied by pulling them off of the belt of their captors and landing directly in Ahsoka's open palm.

She threw one of them to Ezra noticing he didn't have his own with him and they simultaneously activated the lightsabers showering their surroundings in the ghostly white.

"Follow me!" She yelled to Ezra as she charged towards the captive girl and three soldiers standing over her. They all fired haphazardly at the two charging Jedi but none of their shots connected. Ahsoka deflected and batted each shot away or back at them with expert precision dispatching one of them with their own blaster fire.

The leader fired frantically and as quickly as he could as Ahsoka jumped at him easily dodging his fire then brought her saber up in an arc cutting his blaster in half then back down and across his neck. His eyes went blank and lifeless as his head and body fell to the floor separately. Spinning on her heel and keeping her momentum Ahsoka jumped over the last mercenary in the vicinity and stabbed him in the back before he could turn around.

As blasterfire rained down on Ahsoka and Ezra, she grabbed the Bothan girl by the upper arm with her free hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Who's she?" Ezra yelled over the combat as he placed himself between the girl and anybody firing in their direction.

"We'll find out soon enough, now let's get out of here!" Ahsoka pushed the girl towards the exit where the rest of their companions all waited, trying to keep from getting pinned down.

"Gladly!" Ezra replied as the three successfully made it to the exit of the building and back into the open streets.

"Who the hell were they?!" The unfamiliar girl asked as they all sprinted down the street.

"Long story, explain later!" Ezra responded to her. "We need to get off the streets. Any ideas, Sera?"

"No! We need to get back to the Ghost!" Ahsoka yelled.

"What? No we can't lead them back there!" Hera said. Ahsoka followed the rest of the crew as they let Sera lead them into a alleyway then through an opened grate that led to a maintenance lift.

 _This must be the way they came._

Ezra shut the door on the maintenance lift then hit one of the top buttons. The elevator instantly shot up as everybody tried to regain their breath.

"What happened, Ahsoka?" Ezra asked. Ahsoka sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose realizing how stupid she had been to get caught in a trap like that.

"It was all a trap, they knew we were coming." Ahsoka said before gesturing towards the young Bothan girl who stood in the corner with her back to the wall watching them with wide eyes. "They used her to lead me into a trap then threatened to kill her if I didn't tell them where the Sith holocron was."

She sighed heavily and hung her head. "So I told them." The elevator fell silent for a moment as everybody contemplated the new circumstances.

"You did the right thing, Ahsoka." Ezra finally said. She knew that she did but it still helped to hear her friends approval, it had grown harder and harder to see the lines between right and wrong over the past few months for her. She knew that saving the girl was the right thing but keeping a Sith holocron out of the hands of a Sith lord who very specifically wanted it could have saved potential countless lives, there was no way of knowing how much damage Maul could cause with that one object.

"Hate to interrupt, but what's the plan here?" The girl named Sera asked.

"We need to get back to the upper city, docking bay GB-9267." Hera said as she pulled up her comm-link and spoke into it. "Chopper, do you copy?" Ahsoka felt the distress and worry rise in the crew as the comm-link remained silent. "Chop! Are you there?" Hera asked again.

"Damnit." Hera cursed after a few more moments of silence. "They might already be there."

"I can get us there, it should be an easy route."

"We had to slide down three hundred yards of heating ducts to get down here. Tell me it's going to be easier than that." Zeb complained with a groan.

"Just going to need to catch a tram." Sera said. "Getting to the uppercity will be easy, it's the getting to the docking bay once we're there that will take some time. The tram will be the quickest way."

"Alright fine." Hera said. "Then that's what we're doing."

* * *

Ezra boarded the tram and carefully took in his surroundings. Luckily, the car was empty, allowing him and his comrades to relax if only for a few minutes. They had already had a few close encounters with the mercenaries since getting off of the elevator and they were all desperately in need of a moments rest after the night they had.

Ezra slumped down into the closest chair to the door and let out a heavy sigh as he wiped the sweat from his brow. The doors to the car closed and the tram began to move after a few moments while everybody else settled down around him. Ahsoka sat by herself at the front of the car while Zeb sat at the back. Sabine and Hera walked the Bothan girl who was still nearly catatonic to a seat.

Ezra's heart warmed at the sight of Sabine and Hera comforting the poor girl. Hera was softly talking to her while Sabine remained alert and watchful of any potential threats, like a stoic protector of those who needed it. To most it would look like she was indifferent, but Ezra had finally realized that it was Sabine's way of showing that she cared. It was in her nature to protect.

 _That's what she's always done for me._ Ezra realized, Sabine was never indifferent to him. She just didn't know how to show that she cared in any other way than to protect him, which admittedly and much to his own embarrassment, she did a lot of. But he wasn't embarrassed by it any more, the realization just made him love her even more.

Ezra's sudden admiration was cut short by the image of red hair and emerald eyes as Sera sat down next to him. She looked at him with a mix of anger and awe that he couldn't quite place. The look held a flake of innocence in it as well that brought him back to simpler times back on Lothal, as simple as being an orphaned pickpocket could be at least.

"You have some explaining to do." She stated firmly making him feel like a child who was in trouble. He knew that everything that she just saw was no doubt confusing but he had no idea where to even start.

"Uhh well...I'm not really sure where to start." Ezra chuckled nervously.

"How about why you're using a lightsaber and how you were dodging blaster bolts like they were nothing." She said gesturing down to Ahsoka's lightsaber which he had clipped to his belt.

"Yeah." Ezra rubbed the back of his head. "It turns out, I can use the force." Sera's eyes went wide with shock. "That's why I was such a natural at pickpocketing and climbing and could jump so far as a kid."

"So you and her," Sera pointed to Ahsoka. "You're Jedi?"

"Yeah." Ezra said before realizing his mistake. "Well not really…" Ezra frowned as he tried to think of a definition of what he and Ahsoka really were. Neither of them truly followed the Jedi code or even believed in it but they utilized the teachings of the Jedi and they were taught by members of the Jedi order. It occurred to Ezra in that moment that he didn't really know what he was aside from a rebel. "We don't follow the Jedi code. We're just rebels who can use the force."

"Yeah I imagine following that code would get pretty boring anyways." Sera shrugged. "No relationships or any emotions right?"

"Basically yeah. None of those rules really stuck with me when I started learning them." Ezra answered.

"You not following the rules? Why am I not at all surprised?" Sera smiled.

"Because I'm me." Ezra smiled back childishly. For a brief moment he felt slightly more at ease than he had over the past hours and he was glad that he had the chance to reconnect with Sera.

"I'm glad you didn't change too much." Sera said with a sigh. "I missed you, Ez." She said as she gently placed her hand over Ezra's. At first the contact felt warm and calming but made Ezra gently pulled his hand away.

"Sera…" He said as his cheeks began to blush upon realizing where Sera was going with it. "I'm uhh- I don't really know how to explain this."

"You're with Sabine." Sera interrupted plainly.

"Yeah." Ezra blushed as he recalled the moment he and Sabine had in the supply room. It just felt so right to him that the thought of it made him smile. "Well I'm not _with_ her with her. We haven't really talked about it. I don't know if she considers us as together." Ezra began ranting as his head began to spin with hundreds of questions. He really needed to have that talk with Sabine, just waiting to hear what she actually had to say was eating away at his nerves.

"So it's complicated." Sera stated plainly to which Ezra nodded.

"But how did you know about us? We haven't told anybody."

"I'm not blind, Ezra." Sera said. "I can see the way you look at her. The way you two fight side by side. The way she looks at you. It's all there, and it looks perfect." Sera said kindly, he saw tears welling up in her eyes but she blinked and pushed them back.

"I'm sorry, Sera." Ezra apologized for hurting his friend.

"It's alright that you moved on. You thought I was dead." Sera assured him gently. "And I'm happy for you as long as you are happy with whatever it is you have with her."

"Thanks, Sera." Ezra said with a sigh of relief, he knew she was being honest and didn't feel the need to discuss it any further.

"Though I would like to get to know her a bit better but she doesn't exactly trust me." She said gently as if to avoid anybody overhearing her.

"She will." Ezra said warmly as he looked back to Sabine who was still standing next to the Bothan girl who was practically curled up into Hera's arms. Her eyes rapidly darting left and right and watching every possible avenue of approach as the tram shot through the upper city.

Ezra was about to tell Sabine to relax, that there was no way they would be attacked while going this fast in a tram but was interrupted by Sabine yelling.

"We've got company!" She said right before ducking as a blaster bolt shot through the window of the door from the next car and went right over her head.

Ezra scrambled out of his seat and activated his lightsaber as everybody else prepared their own weapons.

"How did they find us?" Zeb yelled as he returned fire through the window with a few shots of his own.

"Doesn't matter now!" Hera yelled. "Ezra! Get the girl into cover!" Ezra grabbed the girl by the shoulder as gently as he could while still pulling her down to the floor of the cart.

"Get under the seats okay?" He said softly while making eye contact with the girl. She looked up at him with a quivering chin and confused watery eyes but thankfully complied and slid under the tram seats.

"They're coming from this direction too!" Ahsoka yelled from the opposite side of the car. She activated her saber and gracefully deflected two blaster bolts through the windows next to her then spun on her heel and deflected one from the other direction.

Ezra stepped into the center of the car and deflected two bolts from the side Ahsoka wasn't covering. He could see at least three mercenaries through the window, all heavily armed and armored.

"They just don't know when to quit!" Ezra growled as he batted a shot back into one of the mercenaries shoulder. The man fell to the ground but Ezra couldn't be sure if he was dead in all of the mayhem going on. He lowered his saber and let Sabine fire a few times over his shoulder then went back to deflecting blaster bolts.

The Mercs kept approaching despite how much Ezra, Sabine, and Sera threw back at them. It was as if they weren't afraid of death, their heavy matte black armor took most of the brunt of the blaster fire allowing them to eventually reach the car door.

"Their armor is too thick! Stand behind me." Ezra commanded. Expecting them to just open the door he was unpleasantly surprised to see a concussion grenade lobbed through the window directly in front of him.

Ezra instinctively pushed the grenade away with the force but it detonated before he got it back through the doors window. The grenade detonated with a massive physical force and deep boom that threw Ezra back into Sabine and Sera knocking them onto the floor. They rolled and tumbled getting tangled up in each other before their bodies came to a halt.

Ezra thought he heard Sabine groaning but couldn't be sure with the ringing in his ears as he unsteadily pulled himself up onto his knees. His vision blurred red in pain when a boot hit him directly in the side of his ribs knocking him sideways onto his back. His vision sharpened again at the sight of a Mercenary standing over him. He saw the blaster raised then aimed directly at his face, he could see the trigger being squeezed but couldn't act fact enough to move.

Without warning a knife pierced the mercenaries wrist. The merc dropped his blaster and stumbled back in pain then looked for the source just the same as Ezra. Both of their eyes landed on Sera who still had her hand extended from expertly throwing the knife.

The merc groaned as he pulled the knife from his wrist with his good hand and charged toward Sera, he took two shots from Sabine but still kept his momentum. Sera dodged the charge and kicked him in the back of the knee while Sabine shot him again. Confident that the two women had control of that merc, Ezra moved his eyes to the two mercenaries currently coming through the door into the car.

Ezra took the distraction to his advantage and rolled to his feet. He pressed the button on his borrowed lightsaber but it only flickered with electricity for a few times before failing completely.

"Crap." Ezra dropped the broken lightsaber as the two mercenaries opened fire on him. He purposely rolled towards the side of the car to avoid Ahsoka, Zeb, or Hera getting caught in the crossfire.

Utilizing his momentum he planted his feet on the wall of the car then launched himself towards the closest merc. He brought his fist down on the side of the merc's helmet as he flew past him and landed in a roll. The merc fell to the floor with a heavy thud while Ezra sidestepped a close range shot from the next mercenary. Calling on the force, Ezra brought hands up with open palms and threw the firing merc into the ceiling then behind him into the wall. The soldier groaned and struggled to get back up indicating he was, much to Ezra's frustration, still in the fight.

The soldier that Ezra punched came to his feet and swung the butt of his rifle at Ezra's head. Ezra ducked just in time. He wasn't able to dodge the man dropping his rifle and grabbing him by the neck and pushing him against the wall. The second soldier started to get back to his feet as the one holding Ezra punched him in the gut knocking what air he had left out of him.

Ezra groaned in pain from the punch but didn't give up. He punched the man back with a weak undercut due to not being grounded with both feet in the air.

 _Gotta get past that damn armor._ Ezra thought hazily as his vision started to fade. He brought his cybernetic hand up to stop the soldier from headbutting him, his hand planted firmly on the face of the man's helmet just in time.

 _The helmet!_ Ezra's eyes illuminated with a spark of hope. He pushed the man's head back then grabbed both sides of the helmet with his hands then ripped it off. He spun the helmet in his hands so the top was facing down then smashed it down with as much force as he could muster. The helmet cracked the man's skull but he still held on. Ezra hit him again and then another time until he saw blood. Finally after the third time, the man's body went limp and his eyes faded into unconsciousness as his fingers slipped away from Ezra's neck.

Ezra fell to his knees gasping for air with the helmet still in his hand. He looked to the other side of the car, Ahsoka, Zeb, and Hera were still dealing with a few Mercs of their own trying to break into the car. Sera and Sabine were still fighting the knife wielding Merc but he appeared to be tiring out.

A hand clapped down on Ezra's shoulder alerting him that the other soldier was back on his feet. Ezra took a deep breath and jumped to his full height swinging the helmet up in an arc towards the soldiers chin. The edge of the helmet hit the soldier's chin with such force that he was knocked on his feet and onto his back. His body fell limp indicating he was at least unconscious.

Ezra looked at the helmet in surprise at how effective it was as a weapon. Deciding to make use of it again as it seemed to be the only reliable weapon he had at the moment, he jogged down the car towards the last merc Sabine and Sera were still dealing with. The mercenary was facing away from him slashing in wide arcs at the two women as they skirted his attacks with ease. Ezra could hear his labored breathing and see his reflexes slowing as more and more blood dripped from his wrist.

Ezra threw the helmet with as much force as he could. The helmet hit the back of the Mercs head causing him to stumble then frantically slash his knife in a wide arc towards Ezra. Ezra easily dodged it with a step back. Acting on Ezra's distraction, Sabine stepped to the man's side so that he was in between her and a broken window. She gracefully spun on her heel and kicked him in the shoulder with just enough force to push him through the window. His scream quickly faded as the tram sped away leaving the Ghost crew once again effectively alone again, with a few additional bodies of course.

"We've gotta get off of this damned thing. If the Empire won't be waiting for us at the next stop then more of these guys will." Sabine said once all was quiet again. Hera went and checked on the young Bothan girl, gently coaxing her from under the seats where she had hidden. Luckily she was still unscathed.

"Well we can't just jump off. We're going a little too fast for that." Sera said as she wiped the sweat from her brow and inhaled deeply.

"Ahsoka." Ezra coughed. "Ahsoka can cut this car off from the rest then her and I can slow us down enough to be able to jump off." He said through wheezing breaths. His throat and lungs burned from the lack of air.

"You alright?" He heard Sabine ask as she walked next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah." Ezra wheezed then tried clearing his throat before inhaling deeply again. He nodded to Sabine in thanks letting his eyes do all of the talking, Sabine nodded in return to acknowledge that she believed him and let her hand slide off of his shoulder.

Ezra tossed Ahsoka's broken lightsaber back to her. The Togruta caught the weapon expertly then eyed it carefully as Ezra apologized.

"Sorry, it was broken in the blast." He said.

"It's fine. I should be able to fix it pretty quickly." Ahsoka said. She clipped the weapon to her belt then turned back to her side of the cart. She stepped over two dead mercenaries then opened the car door leading to the next car.

"Everybody get ready." She warned. Everybody grabbed onto seats and railings in response. Ezra reached out to the Bothan girl and sat her down next to Ahsoka.

"Sabine." He nodded at the Mandalorian gesturing for her to come over to him. Sabine came over and knelt next to him and the Bothan.

"Hey," Ezra said to the girl as gently as he could. She was still shaking uncontrollably and had her arms wrapped around herself as if they offered protection. "It's going to be okay." Ezra told the girl. "What's your name?" He asked. The girl didn't respond, her lips quivered but didn't open to offer him any answer. Ezra recalled being scared like her, when he was much younger. When he first realized his parents weren't coming back home, he was petrified and couldn't move or even talk.

 _Until Sera found me._ Ezra recalled the first time he met the girl, how she had practically saved him from starvation. How she had just simply introduced herself and showed him that the galaxy wasn't coming to an end.

"My name is Ezra." He said. He nodded towards Sabine. "This is Sabine." Then he pointed to the others of the crew carefully and slowly. "And that's Sera, that's Ahsoka, that's Hera, and that's Zeb." He said finally pointing at the Lasat who had a massive cut along his arm and a laser burn across his face. The girl's eyes widened while looking at Zeb as if she was finally realizing just how imposing he truly was.

"Don't worry." Ezra chuckled "He's completely harmless."

"Sunn." The girl finally said so softly that Ezra could barely hear it. "My name is Sunn."

"It's nice to meet you, Sunn." Sabine said with a kind smile. "Where are you from? I'm from Krownest."

"Triffis." The girl said.

"We're going to bring you home alright?" Ezra assured her. "But first we need to jump off of this tram, you're going to go with Sabine okay?"

Sunn nodded, her eyes still anxiously watching everything around her but she at least looked a bit calmer.

"Okay, good." Ezra said with a smile. He stood back up and went to stand next to Ahsoka as she pulled the lightsaber away from the metal connecter, having successfully severed it. The car ahead of them slowly started to gain distance from them as they slowed down. Ezra closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the wind blow against his overheating and aching body. He reached out with the force slowly but surely and extended his hands as he felt his surroundings with his mind. He felt Ahsoka do the same and knew it was time. Both of them used the force to push back on the momentum of the car. Ezra heard Zeb pry open the side door to the car and felt everybody else go to join him.

They were still going too fast. Ezra put more into his efforts utilizing what Revan and Bastila had shown him on Kashyyyk. His muscles ached and his body began to shake uncontrollably as he exerted himself more and more. Normally this would be something he and Ahsoka would be able to pull off easily but they were both exhausted.

Thankfully, after a full minute of non-stop concentration. Ezra felt the car come to an acceptable speed. He let out a deep breath he didn't know he was holding and almost fell to his knees had Ahsoka not held him up.

"Ezra!" She yelled over the wind.

"I'm fine." Ezra reassured her stubbornly as he regained his balance and shakily walked towards the side door where everybody waited.

"You alright kid?" Zeb asked Ezra.

"Just had enough of this birthday." Ezra quipped.

"You and me both." Zeb laughed before turning back to the door and jumping down onto the walkway. Hera, then Sabine and Sunn, then Sera jumped leaving only Ezra and Ahsoka. Ezra took another deep breath and quietly hoped that the rest of their night would be uneventful. Somehow it had managed to be both the best and worst birthday he had ever had. He didn't want it to get any worse.

After a brief moment, Ezra jumped onto the walkway with Ahsoka close behind him.

* * *

"It doesn't look like there's anybody there." Hera whispered.

"That's weird. You'd figure they would have people waiting for us." Zeb said as the crew snuck through the shadows of other ships and towards the Ghost that was only fifty meters away.

"Maybe they got bored and left." Ezra joked.

"Or more likely, they're hiding and waiting to ambush us." Sabine jabbed back.

"Pessimist." Ezra teased.

"Dreamer." Sabine replied as she knelt down next to him next to a small shuttle.

"Yeah but you love it." Ezra whispered into her ear just quiet enough that nobody else would hear it. He saw Sabine blush and her breath hitched as she desperately tried to think of anything to say.

 _Hah. Gotcha._ Ezra silently reveled in his small petty victory of finally getting the last word with Sabine when they would tease each other.

"I don't see or feel anything on the ship." He heard Ahsoka say.

"We still need to be careful." Hera warned as Ezra and Ahsoka took the lead and walked toward the ship's cargo bay entrance. As they approached, the ramp opened. Everybody raised their weapons ready to fire but quickly lowered them upon seeing nobody in the cargo bay except for Chopper.

"Chopper!" Hera practically cheered in joy at seeing her droid was alright. It was enough that she didn't seem to notice that it looked like not one but multiple bombs had gone off in the ship. There was blaster fire scoring the crates and the walls so much so that there was more exposed wiring than covered.

Ahsoka instantly ran past Chopper and behind a group of crates in multiple states of disarray with their belongings spilling out of them.

The droid beeped teasingly " _Took you long enough._ "

"What happened?" Hera asked frantically as she knelt down in front of the droid and hugged him. "Why weren't you answering the comms?"

" _Busy fighting invaders."_ Chopper said in a gleeful tone as he spinned his head as if he had the most fun in his existence. " _Crinking pirates broke the comms system."_

"Hey, language!" Hera yelled at Chop who beeped sadly.

" _Who are these people?"_ Chopper asked, swivelling his eye to look at Sera and then Sunn.

"We'll explain later. Right now we need to get off planet." Hera said.

"We can't leave yet." Ezra heard Ahsoka say as she came back to the entrance. She looked at Ezra then to Hera slowly. "They have the holocron."

"Karabast." Zeb muttered.

"The what now?" Sera asked.

"We have to get it back." Ezra exclaimed.

"How?" Hera asked as she ushered everybody onto the ship entirely so that she could close the cargo bay door. "They could already be off planet and we should be too and we need to get Sunn back to her home!"

"We can't go all the way to Triffis, Hera!" Ezra yelled back. "It's practically on the other side of the galaxy we need to try and find where those Mercenaries are before we lose them."

"Ezra she needs to be home with her family and we don't have any leads on where they could be." Hera said as she started to climb up the ladder towards the cockpit. Ezra and everybody else followed and went into the cockpit. Ezra paced angrily while everybody else claimed seats while Hera checked the ships systems and began to power it up.

"We need to move the ship, make repairs then we will decide what to do." Hera stated in a fashion that argued it wasn't up for debate.

"I might be able to help." Sera said before Ezra could argue. Everybody stopped to look at the red haired girl who shrugged as she began to explain.

"I have a ship that some of you can take to Triffiss to bring Sunn home." She said nodding towards the Bothan girl next to her who stood as close to the door as possible. "It needs some repairs but it'll only take a few hours if somebody can give me a hand."

"What about the mercenaries?" Hera asked.

"I can have my people put out the word to keep an eye out for any of those Mercs. We've got a pretty good network in the undercity and those guys don't seem to care about keeping a low profile. I bet we can have solid info before dawn." Sera said. Ezra and the rest of the crew looked to Hera as she visibly contemplated the new proposal. After a few moments she sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose as her shoulders slumped.

"Alright, fine." She relented to Ezra's relief who couldn't help but smirk at the sudden turn of events. They couldn't let Maul get that holocron. "Zeb, Ahsoka, Sabine, and Chop. I need you here to help with the repairs on the Ghost. Sunn will stay here."

"What about me?" Ezra asked. He didn't want to leave Sabine or Sunn after the night that they had.

"You and Sera can move the best without getting spotted. You two are going to go do the repairs on Sera's ship while her people are out looking for info. Then you'll meet us at a rendezvous off planet and we will figure things out from there." Hera commanded.

Ezra and Sera both nodded in response. "Alright, Hera." Ezra said. He looked to Sera as they turned and walked out of the cockpit. "I'll meet you in the cargo hold. I just need to grab a few things."

"You got it." Sera said in a surprising but not unwelcome chipper tone. She walked ahead and out of sight while Ezra went to his room. He opened the door and walked inside, he sighed heavily and his shoulders slumped as he allowed himself to show how exhausted he truly was.

 _Only a few more hours._ Ezra told himself as he opened his footlocker and grabbed his lightsaber. The familiar weight and feel was more comforting than he cared to admit. It was exactly as he had left it but it didn't stop Ezra from inspecting the weapon carefully as he turned it over in his hands.

"You gonna take it out for dinner?" Sabine's voice made Ezra nearly jump out of his skin. He cursed out loud at himself for not paying attention, she was always quiet but he should have been able to feel her.

"Just feels good having it back after the night we've had." Ezra said. Two years ago he was leaving his lightsaber behind almost twice an hour. Now he felt naked without having it by his side almost every waking minute.

"I get it." Sabine said. "Mandalorians are the same way about our armor." She said as she stepped into the room and let the door close behind her.

"I'm surprised you don't have it on already." Ezra jested.

"Oh trust me." Sabine chuckled slightly as she spoke in a way that made Ezra just a little bit less tired. "I can put it on really fast but not _that_ fast."

"I'd like to see that sometime." Ezra blurted out. He immediately shut his mouth and averted his gaze as Sabine gave him a dead eye stare.

"Are you…" She asked. "Hitting on me?"

"Too much?" Ezra asked.

"Not really." Sabine shrugged. "I'm just teasing you, Ezra." His body tensed up as she walked towards him, everything that had happened between them earlier was in the heat of the moment, it came naturally. Now he was clueless. "But normally when you hit on somebody it's about clothes coming off not being put on."

"Right." Ezra rubbed the back of his neck, once again finding himself lost in her wide eyes. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Relax, Ezra." She smiled reached out and placed her hand on the side of his neck, brushing her hand along his jawline as she did. The tenseness in his body instantly melted at the contact and he let himself close his eyes for just a moment as he found another moment of peace with Sabine for the third time that night.

"We still gotta have that talk." Ezra mumbled.

"We do." Sabine nearly whispered. Her voice sounded so beautiful. "And we will." He felt her close in and then her lips on his cheek. She kissed him gently on the cheek then pulled away as he opened his eyes.

"Just a kiss on the cheek?" Ezra asked feigning insult.

"And nothing more until you get back and we have that talk." Sabine said playfully. "I just wanted to ask you to be careful. You have a tendency to get hurt when I'm not around to save your ass."

"Trust me." Ezra chuckled. "I'm far too tired to be taking any risks. Sera and I will play it safe."

"I do trust you." Sabine said. "And I trust her too." She said as she averted her gaze and looked down at her feet as if she was ashamed.

"You do?" Ezra asked.

"Well if you trust her, then so do I. Besides she saved both of us multiple times tonight." She said as her hand slid down Ezra's neck and off of his chest.

"Yeah, I've got to thank her for that." Ezra responded.

"Now get going. We've both got work to do." Sabine said as she turned on her heel and walked to the door. As she turned into the hallway she gave Ezra one last look and a faint smile before walking away. It took almost all of his remaining energy not to just follow her and go wherever she went.

"Work to do." Ezra muttered to himself shaking his head to remind himself that his feelings had to wait. He left his room and went the other way to go down to the cargo hold so that he and Sera could begin their likely tedious and tiring journey to her hideout.

* * *

The first thing Sabine did after talking to Ezra was check her room for any damage from Choppers destructive combat encounter. The droid was scrappy and effective in a fight but didn't really seem to care about collateral damage. Luckily for her, that collateral damage did not extend to her living quarters and everything seemed to be intact.

The second thing she did was change out of her clothes and back into her armor. She sighed happily once she was back in the comfort of her regular outfit. She left the room then started to walk back to the cockpit to ask Hera what she needed to be doing.

"Sabine." Ahsoka's voice came from behind her making her turn on her heel.

"Hey." She said.

"I managed to get some video data from the surveillance system in the first place I checked out. It's almost entirely corrupted. I was wondering if you and Chopper could try cleaning it up." She held out her hand with a small hard drive in it. Sabine took the hard drive without any more questions.

"I'll see what I can do." Sabine said.

"Thank you, let me know if you find anything useful. I know it's a long shot but maybe it can give us some leads on where to look for the holocron or Maul." Ahsoka said.

* * *

Ezra and Sera were alone in a small short hangar that was attached to her hideout. According to Sera it was an old smugglers den that didn't exist on the cities blueprints which was why it had everything ranging from a kitchen and bunks to a hanger. The hanger doors were directly in front of the YT-2000 ship that the two currently worked on from the outside.

It was a surprisingly nice ship that had shields and was even armed but Ezra could tell it had seen quite a lot judging by the multiple blaster burns that marked it's hull.

"I can't believe they used that poor girl like that." Sera said, her voice was muffled due to her head being buried in the maintenance hatch next to the sublight drive of the ship.

"Yeah." Ezra muttered trying to push back the anger that welled up in his chest. He always knew Maul wouldn't stop at anything to get what he wanted but it didn't make it any easier to see.

"You would think our all powerful Galactic Empire would fight to stop things like that but-"

"-But they're just more of the same." Ezra finished for Sera.

"Exactly." Sera responded, her head popped up from the maintenance hatch, her hair was pulled back tightly and she now had a few grease spots on her shirt and face. "It makes me wonder if the bad people will always win. If they'll always be the ones in charge y'know?"

"I guess." Ezra shrugged. He never really gave much thought to what would happen if they defeated the Empire. He assumed the Rebel leadership would take part in restoring the Republic that they all seemed to love so much. But he wasn't sure what that really meant, the Republic died on the day he was born so he didn't have much experience with it.

"I want to see the Empire burn as much as any other Rebel but sometimes the more I see of the galaxy, the more I see places without the Empire, where people are just as bad. It makes it hard to keep motivated for a better future." Sera sighed.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Ezra said thinking of all of the horrible things he had seen done at the hands of people who didn't represent the Empire.

"Ah Damnit." Sera swore. "Can you get that hydrospanner from the bench down there?"

"Sure." Ezra hopped down from the top of the ship onto the floor then walked over to the bench. He grabbed the hydrospanner then went to turn back around but was stopped by a familiar feeling calling to him. He hadn't felt it in a long time, not since before Dantooine. It was more than a feeling, more like a presence. It was dark and cold but radiated with waves of power that felt as strong as a sun. He couldn't quite place what it was exactly but it was near and in a specific spot unlike when Revan and Bastila came to him. When they appeared their presences practically wrapped themselves around him and surrounded him.

Ezra felt it coming from inside the ship and instinctively followed it despite how wrong the feeling felt.

"Ez?" He heard Sera say before he started hearing whispers echoing around him.

 _What the hell is going on?_ Ezra kept following the presence up the cargo ramp and through the ship into the long bridge that held the living quarters on each side. He walked to the door where he felt the presence. The door slid open on it's own revealing a dark room. Ezra uneasily walked in, his heart was pounding in his chest but he couldn't hear it. Only the whispers. He didn't want to keep going but he couldn't stop himself, whether he just had to know or he wasn't in control, he wasn't sure.

On the edge of the bed was Sera's bag. He had seen her bring it onto the ship when they got there. Whatever it was was inside the bag. Ezra slowly creeped forward and knelt down, he reached out and pulled open the bag revealing the only thing that made sense even though he didn't want it too. The red light from the Sith holocron glowed radiantly as it shined into the dark room casting more shadow than light.

 _No._ Ezra's eyes widened in fear as his pounding heart nearly came to a stop.

 _It can't be._

"You weren't supposed to find that." Ezra jumped and spun on his heel at hearing Sera's voice cut through the whispers from the holocron. Sera stood at the door with a blaster pistol aimed at Ezra.

"Why?" Ezra asked. His mind was spinning, it didn't make sense.

"I'm so sorry, Ez." She said and without warning squeezed the trigger on the blaster. A blue circle shot from the barrel and hit Ezra directly in the chest sending a powerful shock through his body and knocking him back onto the bunk.

In an instant, everything in Ezra's body went numb then his vision began to fade. His mind was still coherent enough to recognize that she stunned him. He only heard a few words before drifting entirely into unconsciousness.

"Maul wants both you and the holocron."

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for not posting last week but I transferred to a different college so it was my first week at a new college and I was very overwhelmed and busy and my academic life comes first before this especially because of how much work I put into this. I should be back on normal track now that I have figured out my new schedule! I hope you all enjoyed and thank you for being so patient and such wonderful readers. I could not do this without your support. You are all wonderful.**


	15. Search and Rescue 2

**AN: Sorry for the late post again, this chapter was very hard to write and I'm still adjusting to my new schedule. Next chapter will be posted this Wednesday night though for sure!**

* * *

Chapter 14: Search and Rescue Part 2

Ezra's legs collapsed under his meager weight. He fell against the front wall of the storefront and hit his head against the hard stone. His head hit hard enough to make him even dizzier than he already was but it didn't hurt, or maybe it did and he just couldn't feel it, he didn't know. The last time he had eaten was three days ago and it was a piece of rotten fruit that somebody had thrown away.

Suffice to say, he was starving and he had run out of hope. It had been three months since his parents had disappeared and he had come to the conclusion they were dead, a harsh reality for a seven year old. The even harsher reality was that he knew he was going to starve to death soon and nobody was willing to help him. He had no money, no skills, and nobody wanted to help somebody whose parents were arrested by the Empire.

On top of the starvation, it was midwinter on Lothal and he was freezing. It wasn't particularly cold during winters on Lothal but it was cold enough to make the underdressed Ezra shiver uncontrollably along with his legs that still shook with fatigue. He tucked his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around himself to try and fight off the cold as his teeth chattered. He let his eyes close and tried not to cry. He had never been so hungry or thirsty in his life.

He had never been so angry either. His parents had always told him that people were good, that they would help others in need and that he should do the same. But nobody was helping him. Dozens of people were passing him by at that very moment and not one of them was giving him a single thought. They were all selfish, out for themselves. His parents were wrong.

"Hey." Ezra heard a girl's voice and opened his eyes to see a slender girl with red hair and green eyes standing in front of him. She held two ration packs to her chest, her hands covering up the insignia in the center of the metallic containers.

"Hi?" Ezra replied apprehensively, his voice was raspy and just as shaky as his body. The girl looked slightly older than him but not much bigger in size. She didn't look threatening but that didn't stop him from being cautious. He had learned it was better to not trust people over the past few months. There was no reason for him to believe otherwise.

The wide eyed girl took one of the ration packs and held it out to Ezra. He had no idea why she was giving it to him but he didn't question it. He was too hungry to question any food being given to him. He snatched the container from the girls hand and opened it, immediately starting to eat as much as he could.

"Don't eat it all at once. You'll get sick." He heard the girl say. As if on queue, his stomach responded with a painful ache after only a few mouthfuls of food. Ezra stopped eating to let the pain pass and looked up at the girl as tears started to form in his eyes. It was a simple, plain tasting meal, but it was also somehow the kindest gesture he had ever experienced.

"Thank you." He said as he looked up at the girl to see that she was already gone. He had never seen the girl before and he was far too weak to go looking for her, but having enough food for a few days was enough. That, and knowing that maybe not everybody was selfish after all.

* * *

Sabine closed the maintenance hatch after successfully rewiring the life support systems and making sure they worked. The only thing that had gotten her through the daunting task was cursing Chopper and making idle threats about scrapping him once she was done. The droid had caused more damage than she had originally anticipated and there was still some work to be done even after two hours of the whole crew making repairs.

At the very least, Sabine took comfort in knowing that they had Chopper working double time on making repairs and cleaning up the data files that Ahsoka had gotten from the warehouse. Sabine had done what she could and laid out the groundwork for recovering the data, all that needed to be done now was wait for Chopper to clean up the data so that it would be legible. He was going to need to spend quite some time on the charging station after finishing his work of all those repairs and cleaning up that data.

As if the droid had somehow known Sabine was thinking of him, he wheeled around the corner haphazardly waving his grasping arms frantically to get her attention. He instantly started speaking too fast as he nearly screeched to a halt in front of Sabine.

"Whoa whoa." Sabine held out her hands trying to calm the distraught droid. "Slow down, Chop."

The droid spun his head still waving his arms but slowed down his communications after groaning in frustration and making some comment about inferior organics. " _Scanned through data to save time. You need to watch this now."_

Without waiting for reply. Chopper activated his holoprojector showing a filthy nearly barren room with nothing but a pile of rags in the corner. The door to the room opened and a little human boy no older than six was pushed into the room with such force that he tripped and fell flat on the floor. Sabine's jaw clenched in anger at the sight.

 _Who would treat a child like that?_

Her question was instantly answered, only the answer wasn't what she was even remotely expecting it to be. Another figure walked into the video through the doorway and knelt down in front of the boy. She was slender and had red hair and green eyes. There was no mistaking who it was and that terrified Sabine more than she could ever imagine. It didn't just mean that she was working for Maul or that she wasn't who they had all thought. It meant this was all part of the plan and that she had everything she wanted. Sera had Ezra, the holocron, and likely everything from that warehouse secured.

Sabine didn't let the fear strike her into paralysis though. That wasn't who she was. She cursed in her native tongue then sprinted to her room to get her weapons.

"Show Ahsoka then tell her to meet me outside! Tell Zeb and Hera to get the ship ready to go ASAP!" She yelled as her mind began to worry that Sera was already gone with Ezra. It was likely going to result in nothing but failure but she had to get Ezra back. She had to try.

* * *

Sera walked down the lower edge of the highway towards her home as carefully as she could. Every few minutes she would double check behind her to make sure she wasn't being followed or watched. She was young but not naive enough to believe that nobody would have any interest in trying to turn her place over or that the Imperials wouldn't at least have a bounty out for any thieves or the ration shipment she had stolen a few days prior.

When she was only a few minutes away from home she had to stop herself after hearing something behind her. It was too dark to really see anything and somebody could have easily been hiding in the tall brittle grass, night had fallen nearly an hour previously and it was so cold that she could see her breath.

She wanted nothing more than to get home and go to sleep but luckily she had a pretty good idea of who it was that was following her. She couldn't explain why but she just knew he wouldn't try to hurt or steal from her.

"You just going to follow me this entire time or actually come talk to me?" She asked in the dark. She was met only with silence for a brief moment, then the sight of a head popping out from the tall grass. Long, dark hair was all she could really make out but it was enough to confirm what she already knew. The boy she had given the ration to a few days earlier.

"Well…" She waved the boy towards her. "Come on." The boy didn't move at first but then eventually came towards her. As he neared her she could make out more of his features as he looked up at her with awe. He reminded her of herself when she was first orphaned and had to survive on her own. She too had looked up to the older "loth-rats" as the more fortunate called them. She was only nine but after three years by herself she had plenty of experience in taking care of herself.

"Uhhh…" The boy mumbled. "Hi."

"Why are you following me?" She asked trying to make the conversation as short as possible so she could get home.

"I don't know." The boy said looking down at his feet.

"You're a liar." Sera sighed as she turned and started to walk away.

"Wait!" The boy interjected. Sera kept walking. "I wanted to see how you got that food."

Sera stopped walking and looked back at the scraggly boy. Her parents had always taught her to help people in need. That's why she had given him some of her stash after all. Her parents had also taught her not to steal though but she didn't steal from good people, only the Empire.

"I'll show you." Sera decided after a moment's pause. The boy didn't stand a chance if she wouldn't help him.

"R-really?" the boy stuttered.

"Yeah." Sera said. "Come on, you can stay with me for now. We'll start tomorrow." The boys lips curled into a wide ear to ear grin.

"Yes! Thank you!" He practically yelled.

"Quiet! We don't want people to hear us." She shushed him. He quickly quieted down looking as apologetic as he possibly could for already making a mistake.

"What's your name?" Sera asked.

"Ezra." The boy said extending his hand. Sera smiled at the gesture and shook his hand.

"I'm Sera."

"Okay." Ezra smiled.

Sera looked back down the highway towards the LothalNet Comm tower, her impromptu home. "Let's go home. I'm freezing."

* * *

Ezra woke with a jolt as he came to, his mind immediately reacting to not knowing where he was.

"What the-" He groaned as he tried to move but felt nothing in response. In fact, he didn't really feel anything. He tried to open his eyes to try and get some answers to his questions but his eyelids barely responded. Memories flooded in all at once. Sera, the holocron, she shot him, then she said something.

 _Maul wants me and the holocron._ Ezra recalled the last words before he slipped into unconsciousness.

 _Sera is working for Maul!_ Ezra realized angrily as he tried to open his eyes again. This time he managed to open them up as he slowly regained some control of his body. He started to feel a roaring pain in his head likely from being stunned but he couldn't feel his arms or legs still.

In front of him was the cockpit of Sera's ship with a view of the hangar doors through the viewport. From what he could tell he was alone but he couldn't turn his head any further than to see the pilot's seat to his left due both to not being able to move and his legs and arms being strapped down with binders.

He heard the door to the cockpit slide open and tried to break himself free but his body still didn't respond. He heard slow calculated footsteps then saw the shadow of Sera pass over him as she walked in between him and the viewport and turned to face him. She looked at him the same way she did when they were kids, as if she hadn't just revealed to him that she worked for Maul.

"How are you feeling?" She asked. Ezra clenched his jaw as he stared daggers at her, he still couldn't even possibly fathom how she could do such a thing to him.

"Why?" He asked through a shaky voice and nearly clenched teeth.

"Because I don't want you to be in pain." She responded as if he had asked her the dumbest question possible.

"Why would you work for Maul?" Ezra spat out the Zabrak's name with so much venom that he could have sworn he saw Sera flinch.

"You wouldn't understand." Sera meeting Ezra's steely gaze with an emotionless stare.

"No, I suppose I wouldn't" Ezra looked away and tried to find a way to get out of the binders. Whatever Sera had done to him, he couldn't feel the force or his body, though the latter was starting to come back to him.

"I need to finish repairs." Sera said blankly. "Don't bother trying to use the force or your cybernetic arm to escape. The drugs I gave you cut you off from the force entirely and I deactivated your arm."

"Thanks." Ezra responded sarcastically.

"I need to finish repairs." Sera sighed. She went to walk past Ezra but stopped at his side and placed her hand on his shoulder. Ezra could feel it which made him practically revolt in response, he jerked his shoulder violently away from her hand and kept his gaze focused on the hangar doors in front of him in a desperate attempt to hold himself together.

 _Don't look at her._ He told himself. He knew that if he did, he would only be more conflicted. She was a traitor, that was all he needed to know.

"I'm so sorry, Ezra." He heard her say. Her voice shook and he could hear her trying not to cry.

"So am I." Ezra muttered. He heard her walk away then the door close behind her once again leaving him alone.

* * *

Ahsoka followed Sabine through the dark alleys of the undercity of Vorzyd. Sabine was currently leading them to the entrance to Sera's hidden 'rebel' base.

"This is it." Sabine whispered to Ahsoka as they came to a junction in the alleyway. Around the corner to the right was the maintenance shaft that Sabine had told Ahsoka about. Evidently it was the way that Ezra unknowingly led them into the base. Both of which were topics that Sabine had been incredibly short about when explaining to Ahsoka.

It didn't take much for Ahsoka to notice just how distressed Sabine was about Ezra. As much as the Mandalorian tried to hide it, Ahsoka could tell that her affection for Ezra had grown significantly in just the past few hours.

 _Something happened between them._ Ahsoka realized quietly. She saw no benefit in bringing it up. It would only distract or possibly anger Sabine and right then they both needed to be as focused as possible.

Ahsoka watched Sabine lean and peak around the corner then lean back in one smooth motion.

"Three mercs waiting outside the shaft." Sabine whispered and raised up three fingers. "We'll need to do this quietly, there may still be Imperials around from earlier."

"This is the only way in?" Ahsoka asked

"Only way I know of." Sabine said. Ahsoka watched carefully as Sabine pulled out her combat knife and nothing else. "Now let's do this."

"Sabine, wait!" Ahsoka tried to hold Sabine back so they could formulate a plan but she was too late. The Mandalorian turned the corner with only knife in hand.

Ahsoka gripped her lightsaber and turned the corner as well. She didn't even have the chance to activate it before Sabine flipped the knife in her hand and threw it at the closest merc.

The sharp metal whistled through the air and struck true. The blade buried itself in the neck just below the merc's helmet. Before the merc even had the chance to grab the weapon, Sabine was on him. Ahsoka extended an open palm and threw a wave of force at the furthest merc from Sabine throwing him back against the wall. His body slid down to the ground while Sabine grabbed the grip of the knife on her first victim, spun on her heel and delivered a roundhouse kick to the second merc knocking him to the ground.

In one fluid motion after landing on both feet, Sabine pulled out a blaster pistol and knelt next to the man she kicked down and pressed the barrel against him in between the chest armor and helmet. She squeezed the trigger without any hesitation or hint of emotion other than pure tenacity. The blaster fire was muffled by the thick armor suit and the man bucked in response to the pain then fell limp.

Sabine stood up, her helmet turned to look at Ahsoka who stood there unsure of what to even say at Sabine's sudden ferocity.

"Let's go." Sabine nodded towards the maintenance shaft impatiently.

"There will be more waiting for us inside." Ahsoka warned. Sabine's tenacity worried her. Ahsoka wanted to get Ezra back just as much as the Mandalorian but she knew from experience that acting on emotions could lead to mistakes.

"I'm counting on it." Sabine growled before turning towards the shaft and walking into it without any apprehension or fear of attack. It was as if she knew that nothing could stop her from getting Ezra back and everything in the way was just trivial.

 _Maybe the emotional involvement just helps her focus more._

* * *

Ezra had kept his eyes closed as he tried to reach out with the force for the past fifteen minutes to no avail. His jaw shook and his body was as tense as could be while he desperately tried to find his center just like Kanan and Ahsoka had taught him. He found nothing. He tried to think about Sabine, about his parents, about his family, and how they all made him feel but everything was plagued by the thought of Sera and Maul working together. Everytime he started to piece together a bridge to the force it was torn down by images of Maul and Ezra's hatred for him.

It was worse than being cut off from the force entirely. Ezra could feel it, just not the parts he knew how to use. He could feel the darkness in himself, he could feel it radiating from the holocron, but he couldn't do anything with it.

Sighing in frustration Ezra banged his head against the headrest of the co-pilot's seat and then tried to break free of his bindings. He once again found no success, only more frustration and pain as the bindings dug into his ankles and wrist. The skin on his wrist broke and he began to bleed but he pushed through the pain and continued to pull.

The door to the cockpit slid open once again making him pull even harder. The last thing he wanted to do was have to look at Sera. He still couldn't believe that she worked for Maul. It didn't make sense to him how she could follow somebody so evil.

He heard Sera sigh as she came around in front of him. "Ezra stop it, you're just hurting yourself." She knelt down and held his wrists with her hands to try and stop him from pulling.

"Don't touch me!" Ezra yelled so loudly that Sera nearly jumped back with a hurt look on her eyes.

 _Good._ Ezra thought to himself. _She deserves to be ashamed._

"I'm trying to help you, Ezra." She said.

"Strange way of showing it don't you think?" Ezra growled.

Sera shook her head and rubbed the bridge of her nose before looking back at Ezra.

"You don't understand." She said. She sounded so tired as she spoke, as if she hadn't slept in days and she had the weight of the galaxy on her shoulders. "Maul won't stop until he gets that holocron."

"You think I don't know that?" Ezra asked rhetorically and raising his voice as he leaned forwards. "He betrayed me! He tried killing my master! He cut off my arm, Sera! I watched his apprentice kill her entire family on his orders!" He was practically screaming at that point, his voice was shaking and his throat burned but he kept yelling anyways, it was the only way he could vent his anger and it felt good. "How could you work for somebody like that? How could you betray me for him?!"

"Because I owe him my life!" Sera yelled in frustration.

"You what?" Ezra asked. He couldn't possibly fathom how Maul had it in his heart to actually save or rescue somebody.

Sera leaned against the dashboard of the cockpit in front of Ezra, her eyes hanging mournfully as if she was recalling a death of somebody important. "He was the one who staged the rebellion in the spice mines and freed us. We all knew he was there to steal spice but it didn't matter to us because he saved our lives and he helped us all escape the Empire."

"So? He would sell you to the Empire just as quickly." Ezra said.

"Maybe he would." Sera shrugged causing Ezra to roll his eyes. "But he wants to destroy the Empire just like you."

"I'm nothing like him." Ezra said. "He's a murderer."

"How many people have you killed, Ezra?" Sera asked.

"Th-That's different." Ezra stuttered realizing that he didn't truly know the answer to the question. "The leaders of the Rebellion wouldn't just kill me to suit their needs."

"You know that for sure?" Sera asked. "Have you ever even met the actual leaders of the Rebellion?"

Ezra's anger began to boil over again upon realizing what Sera was trying to do. "Nothing you can say will make me side with you on selling me out to Maul."

"What if I didn't sell you out?" Sera asked.

"What?" Ezra asked incredulously. Sera knelt down in front of him so quickly that he flinched backwards.

"Maul will hunt me down and kill me painfully if I don't bring him the holocron but he just wants you out of the way." A weak smile grew on her lips as her chin shook and she grabbed Ezra by the shoulders.

"What are you saying?" Ezra asked uncomfortably. He was backed all the way up against the seat and couldn't get away from Sera's grasp.

"We can give him the holocron and just leave all this behind." Her hands went up Ezra's neck and cupped his cheeks making him shiver. "No more fighting Ezra, no Rebellion, no Empire, and no Maul. It would just be me and you taking care of ourselves like we used to." She looked at Ezra. Her emerald eyes peered hopefully into his while she waited for him to say something.

Before Ezra could come up with some choice words to tell Sera to go screw herself the commlink on the dashboard cackled with static. " _Sera, they're here!"_ Ezra quickly recognized the voice as Trev.

 _So they all work for Maul._ Ezra now knew for sure that it was all just an elaborate trap.

Sera quickly turned on her heel and activated the comm. "Hold them off, Trev! The repairs will be done in just a minute."

" _Hurry! They're tearing through us!"_

"There's no more than four of them and you have twenty people! Get it together!" Sera yelled back.

Trev quickly replied, this time with the sound of blaster fire and small explosions accompanying his voice and even sending vibrations through the ship. " _What do you mean there's four? All we see is some Mandalorian and somebody with a lightsaber!"_

 _Sabine and Ahsoka._ Ezra smirked and shook his head in disbelief, how they had figured out he was in trouble was beyond him but he didn't care.

"You may as well just let me go now." Ezra said getting Sera's attention before she turned to start powering up the ship.

"Oh yeah, why's that?" Sera flipped a few switches and the dashboard lit up as she sat down in the pilot's seat.

"They'll destroy everything in their path to get to me." Ezra said. "And twenty men isn't enough to even slow them down. It's over, Sera." She paused to look at him with regret in her eyes. "Please, just give up." He said trying to sound as kind as he could, as angry as he was at her. As much as he hated her, she was still his childhood best friend and he didn't want to see her die.

"There's no going back for me, Ez." Sera said as the engines hummed to life on the ship. Ezra cursed under his breath and closed his eyes as he tried to reach out in the force again, hoping that maybe he could help Sabine and Ahsoka in some way or try and escape.

* * *

Ezra walked into the LothalNet comm tower with a stormtrooper helmet in hand, the place they had both been calling home for nearly six years at that point. It was big enough for the two of them and one of the first things they had done was partition it off with blankets and crates so they each had their own room if it could be called that. It wasn't much but it was enough and was better than most of the other loth-rats had so Ezra didn't complain.

"Hey." Ezra lightly tossed the helmet to Sera, seeing her at that time of day was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. The two had become much closer over the past few months and he always felt happy to see her, as if there were butterflies in his stomach.

"Nice!" She smiled at the helmet. "I'll add it to the collection." She turned and placed the helmet on a shelf alongside of the few other ones.

"We really shouldn't be keeping those." Ezra said halfheartedly. He always enjoyed sticking it to the Empire but he wasn't entirely fond of the idea of leaving evidence but Sera liked collecting the helmets which meant he did too.

"Don't worry so much, Ez." She said turning to face him. Her red hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and her green eyes glowed in the sunlight that shined through the doorway. "Those Imps are too dumb to look here. Besides," She shrugged stepping forward and playfully pushing Ezra. "I want to keep track of all your good scores."

"Because I'm better than you?" Ezra teased. Sera tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

"You wish, Bridger." She said. "Because I'm the one who taught you, remember?" She stepped closer, making Ezra nervous. Sera had always been heavy on contact and a close talker but lately it had been more so than usual. He didn't dislike it, he just didn't know what to do.

"Fair enough." Ezra shrugged nervously. "Figured you'd be in the city cleaning people's pockets out during the work rush home." He said changing the subject. He couldn't explain why but his face always felt warmer whenever she got close to him like that.

"Was planning on it but then I found out about a special shipment coming in for some Imperial officers or something like that."

"Need any help?" Ezra asked.

"No I've got it under control." Sera said. "Besides you were going to go to Monad Outpost to scalp some tickets for Gladiator Night weren't you?"

"Oh yeah." Ezra remembered, the money he made from picking pockets and selling stolen tickets to Gladiator Night was always too good to pass up but he had grown used to working heists with Sera over the past few years. He felt uneasy about discussing it and couldn't figure out why. It was as if somebody or something was warning him against it.

"Stop worrying so much." Sera chuckled. Ezra quickly tried to hide the worried expression on his face but was obviously too late.

"I'm not worried." Ezra replied defensively.

"You're a terrible liar, Ez." Sera said with a raised eyebrow.

"I know." Ezra sighed and slumped his shoulders. Sera had always picked on him for it and chastised him on how much he needed to get better at it if he was going to survive. He tried but just could never improve which only frustrated him, she had taught him almost everything he knew and he didn't want to let her down.

"Don't worry." Sera said softly. She placed her hand on his shoulder as she started to walk outside. She leaned in and pressed her lips against Ezra's cheek making them blush and his head practically start spinning in excitement. "I think it's adorable." She whispered.

Her hand slid off of Ezra's shoulder and she silently glided out of the room. "See you later." She said playfully before the door closed behind her leaving Ezra alone before he could say anything or even move.

She had kissed him. On the cheek, but it was still nothing he had ever expected to happen. He didn't know Sera had actually liked him and he didn't know he felt for her. Now he did though. Now he knew for sure that his best friend was more than just his friend.

* * *

"Sabine, wait." Ahsoka whispered from behind her but she didn't pay her any mind. There wasn't any time for caution. Ezra was in trouble and she didn't know what she would do with herself if she didn't do everything in her power to get to him. She had to, he would do the same for her and she couldn't bear the thought of losing him again not after what happened between them earlier.

It was the only thing that went through her mind. The way he made her feel, how happy he was when he looked at her. The way it made her feel to actually open up to him and show him how she felt. She couldn't lose that. She refused to lose that. Which meant that she had to ignore Ahsoka's voice of reason.

Instead of waiting as Ahsoka had requested, Sabine pushed open the grate of the shaft and dropped down into the familiar dark hallway. It was empty like last time but Sabine knew that didn't mean that it was safe. The hallway lit up as soon as Ahsoka dropped down and stood next to Sabine.

Four soldiers stood at the end. Two knelt in the front while another two stood behind them, all with heavy blasters aimed at them.

"Put the weapons down and get on your knees." One of them barked. Sabine turned to look at Ahsoka who was carefully sizing up their opponents.

"This was why we should have waited." Ahsoka said.

"No time to wait." Sabine whispered as the man ordered them again. Sabine dropped her blaster and started to lower herself to her knees. "Think you can give me a distraction?"

"For how long?" Ahsoka asked.

"Long enough for me to reach my belt." Sabine answered plainly as she fell to her knees and prepared to move.

"Just say when." Ahsoka said as she fell to her knees and dropped her lightsaber at her side.

"Now."

Sabine watched as Ahsoka slowly waved one hand to the side ever so slightly, the soldiers guns all swung in the same direction giving Sabine just enough time to reach for her belt. She gripped the device she had in mind and activated it just in time to dodge a blaster aimed for her.

The lights above her instantly failed leaving them in entire darkness. The blaster fire stopped and the only thing that could be heard was the beat of Sabine's heart in her ears and the curses of the soldiers. Short range EMP's weren't exactly her favorite due to the lack of explosions but right then Sabine could not deny their usefulness.

Sabine thought she heard Ahsoka move away but she couldn't be sure. The Togruta was better at moving quietly than even she was.

It was only a short moment before Sabine saw a bright white light at the end of the hallway only making a small silhouette of Ahsoka's fierce features visible. She swung the saber forwards then ducked and brought it back behind her in two swift motions.

Four bodies hit the floor then the only sound left was the hum of Ahsoka's saber.

"They know we're here now." Ahsoka said as Sabine grabbed her blaster pistol and swapped out the power cell so that it would work again. "Get ready while I get this door open."

Ahsoka turned and plunged the lightsaber into the door causing red sparks to dance in the air and fall around her feet.

Sabine walked next to her and prepared two explosives. First a flashbang, and then a small detonator. Hopefully it would be enough to take down whatever was waiting on the other side. If not, then she always had more explosives.

She impatiently waited as Ahsoka slowly cut through the surprisingly thick door.

 _Come on. Hurry up._ She said silently, she tried her best to remind herself that Ahsoka cared about Ezra as well and was likely just as worried as she was.

After a few more seconds, Ahsoka finally cut a hole in the door. The metal glowed red hot, quickly fading to orange and yellow as it rapidly cooled. Ahsoka didn't give it the chance to cool any further before pushing it open with her hand. The cut piece gave way and fell away from them.

Sabine turned and placed her back against the wall as a torrent of blaster fire poured through the open hole. Sabine responded in kind by rolling the flashbang around the corner and into the room of their enemies. Her helmet shielded her ears from the brunt of the high pitched explosion of sound that followed and she didn't wait to see if anybody inside had managed to avoid it. Next she lobbed the thermal detonator into the room with only a second fuse.

The mini bomb detonated with just as loud of a blast as the flashbang and shook the wall that Sabine laid against as screams were muffled out by the inferno of fire and shrapnel that followed. The noise was haunting but unfortunately nothing Sabine hadn't heard before. Regardless, the people she was killing were working for Maul. She had never met the man before, but she knew enough about his encounters with Ezra that anybody who supported him deserved to die as painfully as possible.

 _Especially, Sera._ Sabine thought as she rounded the corner with her blaster pistols extended. Ahsoka took point and held her lightsaber up in a defensive stance. There were still a few more enemies inside who had survived the blast. The room was mostly shelled out and charred from the previous explosion. Multiple bodies and piles of supplies and hardware were strewn across the floor making it look unrecognizable from when Sabine had last seen the room.

Ahsoka stepped in front of Sabine and blocked as many shots as she could with her one saber while Sabine returned fire. She shot twice at the first target hitting him in the leg making him collapse to the ground. The second shot hit him directly in the chest, killing him.

A blaster bolt made it's way past Ahsoka's defenses and hit Sabine in the shoulder. She stumbled at the impact and the pain made her entire right arm numb but she shrugged it off confident that her armor took the brunt of it.

She moved with her stumble and rolled away from Ahsoka and towards a pile of destroyed computer equipment. Her cover was instantly targeted as one of the Mercs began firing at her. Stray pieces of equipment and shrapnel bounced off of her helmet with a light plinking noise making her growl in frustration.

Luckily though, her distraction worked as one of the blasters stopped firing and the other redirected it's aim. Sabine turned onto her knees and peaked over the cover with a blaster pistol just as Ahsoka deflected a blaster bolt of his own directly into his head. The man fell backwards onto the floor with a heavy thud. Sabine stood to her full height to see the remaining merc laying dead at Ahsoka's feet with a long gash from his waist all the way up to his sternum that still glowed red hot.

"You alright?" Ahsoka asked nodding at Sabine's shoulder.

"Fine." Sabine instantly responded. If there was any pain she couldn't feel it right now. And even if there was pain it wouldn't make a difference.

They had a lot more fighting to do.

"Good." Ahsoka said grimly as she turned towards the only other way out of the room. "Let's finish this."

"Gladly." Sabine replied and walked past Ahsoka. "They'll likely be in the hangar, follow me." She opened the door and led Ahsoka through a series of hallways and rooms without any resistance.

"We're going to be outnumbered in there." Ahsoka warned.

"Not a problem." Sabine said as they reached the entrance to the hangar and prepared two more detonators clutching them both in the same hand.

"Move fast and keep up your momentum or they'll pin us down." Ahsoka said.

"I know how to use shock tactics." Sabine said rolling her eyes.

"Sorry." Ahsoka shrugged. "Used to working with Ezra."

"Me too." Sabine replied. She activated the thermal detonators letting the timer go down for a few seconds then opened the door to the hangar. As quickly as she could Sabine threw the detonators as far in as she could then side-stepped allowing Ahsoka to take the lead.

The hangar erupted into chaos as the two stormed towards the ship as fast as the could. The thermal detonators blew up in the distance closer to the ship sending multiple men flying into the air. Ahsoka blocked every blaster bolt and Sabine opened fire on anybody they passed by, either forcing them back into cover or killing them.

She couldn't take all of them out meaning that just had to be passed by. A blast hit Sabine in the back knocking her down to the ground. Sabine gasped for air but didn't let up. Another shot landed only inches away from her face kicking her back into action. She rolled onto her back ignoring the pain in it and blindly returned fire, rapidly squeezing the trigger. The soldier dove away and into cover behind a flipped cart just in time.

Sabine turned and pushed herself back up onto her feet and sprinted as fast as she could through the gunfire to catch up to Ahsoka. They were both so close now, only a few more meters to go to the ship. Its loading ramp was still open but Sabine could hear the ship powering up.

She felt her heart beat even faster as adrenaline pumped through her veins. Her pace quickened while she ignored breathing entirely. She just needed to get onto the ship she told herself.

A small round object entered her sight, careening directly towards her with a red light repeatedly blinking and warning of danger. She only recognized it as a thermal detonator when it landed directly in front of her. Sabine clenched her jaw and ran over it hoping that it wouldn't detonate until she was past it and out of the blast zone. She only needed to get past a stack of crates in front of her and then she could get onto the ship. Ahsoka was only a few feet in front of her at this point and still expertly deflecting each shot at her with finesse.

Sabine only managed to make it a few feet away from the detonator. She heard the beginning of the detonation then felt the concussive blast hit her in the back. Her feet were lifted off of the ground as she felt the heat press against her back. She flailed helplessly from still trying to run as the blast sent her directly into Ahsoka and into the stack of crates.

Sabine felt her head hit Ahsoka as their limbs tangled and they rolled onto the floor. Once they stopped moving Sabine shook her head and pushed herself back onto her feet as she heard the engines on the ship only a few meters away start to prepare for take off.

 _No no no!_ Sabine panicked and began to run after the ship.

"Sabine no!" She felt Ahsoka's hands land on her shoulders. Ahsoka's strength pulled her back down as a torrent of blaster fire landed all around them forcing them back into cover.

Sabine cursed out loud at Ahsoka who peaked over the small amount of cover they had.

"There's too many of them. They'll shoot us both down." Ahsoka yelled at Sabine. "We can't help Ezra if we're dead!"

"We have to do something!" Sabine yelled back as she blindly fired her pistol over the cover.

Ahsoka paused for a brief moment, a plan formed in her eyes before she looked back at Sabine. "Give me your pistol." She extended an open hand to Sabine.

"What?" Sabine asked incredulously.

"I'll cover you!" Ahsoka said frantically. "Now give me the pistol and go get Ezra!" Sabine scowled in response but handed Ahsoka her pistol. Leaving Ahsoka behind wasn't part of the plan but it was the only option she saw in the moment. Ezra needed her and this was the only way so she went along with it.

Sabine watched in admiration as Ahsoka stood up from her cover with her lightsaber held high and extended the pistol. She dodged and blocked each shot as quickly as possible and returned fire with the blaster pistol. "Go!" She yelled.

Sabine didn't need to be told twice and turned on her heel. She ran as fast as possible towards the ship. The loading ramp was halfway closed and the ship was already a few feet off of the ground but Sabine didn't stop. She pushed herself as hard as she could. She ignored the numbness in her shoulder and the pain in her back, she didn't even try to breathe.

 _Almost there._ The loading ramp was only a few feet from closing into the bottom of the ship. In a final effort Sabine jumped as high as she could at the ramp. Her fingers just managed to catch the lip of the ramp, her hands strained under the weight and her shoulder screamed in protest but she pulled herself up and rolled her entire body onto the ramp just in time as it closed.

Sabine rolled onto her back as her body went limp from exhaustion. She would have sighed if she wasn't gasping for air. She allowed herself just a short moment to catch her breath while she tried not to think about Ahsoka.

 _One thing at a time._ Sabine told herself. The two had went through all of that with the intention of saving Ezra, Ahsoka knew the stakes and Sabine couldn't worry about a person that she had no way of helping. She could help Ezra though and that's what she would do.

With a sense of determination back in her mind, Sabine picked herself back up and assessed her situation. She had no idea how many people were even on this ship. She had one of her blaster pistols and a combat knife left. At the very least though, nobody currently knew that she was on board.

Sabine snuck further into the ship, checking each corner as she moved and quickly concocting a plan to turn the odds in her favor.

* * *

"This drug won't last forever you know." Ezra said menacingly to Sera as the ship exited the atmosphere of Vorzyd. The ship didn't look like much but Ezra had to admit he was impressed with its speed and agility.

"It doesn't need to last forever." Sera said. "Just until you can calm down and listen to reason."

"Yeah, I've listened to you plenty and haven't heard any reason yet." Ezra said with a scowl.

"Why are you so against leaving a war behind you, Ezra?" Sera asked impatiently as she sighed. "I understand why you are mad at me but I'm doing this to protect both of us."

Ezra clenched his jaw as he felt another outburst coming. He held it back and remained silent, staring dead ahead of him just desperately trying to tune Sera out.

"What? Because of your _family_?" Sera put a sarcastic emphasis on the word family as if she didn't believe in their legitimacy. "They don't know you like I do, Ezra." Sera said. Ezra grinded his teeth and closed his eyes as rage boiled up in his chest. "And you don't know them nearly as well as you think you do. Especially Sabine." Ezra opened his eyes back up at hearing Sabine's name.

Ezra was about to blurt out asking Sera what she meant but was cut short by the ship going completely dark. Every single light went out leaving the cockpit lit only by the buttons and controls on the dash.

 _Sabine._ Ezra immediately realized who the culprit of the sudden darkness was. Ahsoka knew her way around a ship just as well but taking out the lights was without a doubt Sabine's move due to her helmet having night vision. He had no idea how Sabine managed to get on the ship or if she was alone but he had to assume Sera didn't know either which gave him an idea.

He pulled out the most confident smirk he could and looked at Sera. "Told you the drug wouldn't last forever." He saw Sera move quickly then felt a needle press into his neck. He winced at the sudden pain but ignored it as best he could.

"That was a dumb move, Bridger." Sera said as she pulled the needle out. Ezra didn't feel the effects of the drugs other than being a little bit dizzy. "The lights, really? Why not free yourself?"

"Accident." Ezra groaned as vertigo began to overtake him, it was quite possibly the worst cover he had ever come up with but it was better than nothing. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back into the chair hoping it would help with his dizziness.

"Damnit. Navigation system too?" Sera swore upon looking at the console in front of her.

"Not an accident." Ezra chuckled mischievously. Really he was just silently congratulating Sabine.

 _Genius._ Ezra said to himself upon realizing Sabine's full plan. The lights gave Sabine the advantage, taking out the nav system prevented the ship from making any jumps into hyperspace giving Sabine as much time as she needed and even allowing for the Ghost to arrive.

Sera cursed under her breath then got out of her chair and walked out of the cockpit. Ezra's confidence quickly faded and nervousness replaced it. While Sabine did have the advantage, she was still facing Sera alone and neither of them knew what Sera was truly capable of if Maul had been training her.

* * *

Sabine waited in the lounge next to the door. She was pretty sure that it was just the pilot on the ship. She hadn't encountered anybody else or found any sign of Ezra meaning he was either not on the ship or he was in the cockpit. Hera had commed in and told Sabine that they picked up Ahsoka which brought Sabine an unexpected amount of relief. Ahsoka had also told them that she didn't find Sera, Ezra, or the holocron meaning that they were likely all on the ship with Sabine.

Hera had told Sabine to wait but she couldn't risk anything happening to Ezra which meant that she had to act as soon as possible. She assumed that the pilot would most likely take the other way around to the engine room to turn the nav system and lights back on which would give Sabine the chance to find Ezra. If they did come her way, then she would be waiting.

Soft footsteps coming from the other side of the door alerted Sabine, she widened her stance and crouched down lower while adjusting her grip on her knife.

The door slid open revealing Sera and Sabine immediately struck. She reached out and grabbed Sera by the shoulder then slashed her knife towards her opponent's neck. Much to her surprise, Sera managed to react unnaturally fast hitting Sabine's hand off of her shoulder and ducking under the knife.

Sabine didn't have the chance to recover before the ducked Sera threw her weight into Sabine's midsection picking her feet off of the ground and then slamming her down onto the lounge table. Sabine gasped in pain as a rib cracked from the impact. The pain sent sparks of light into her eyes, dazing her. Sera came into her view directly above her as she felt the woman's hands wrap around her neck making Sabine choke and desperately claw for air.

Remembering she still had her knife, Sabine tried to stab Sera in the stomach but Sera took a hand off of Sabine's neck and wrapped it around her wrist slamming the armed hand back town onto the table.

Despite being smaller than Sabine in every way she was surprisingly strong and agile. Sabine felt herself fading as darkness began to tunnel her vision. In one final attempt she brought her other free hand up and hit the inside of the elbow on Sera's arm that was choking her. The elbow gave way causing Sera to fall directly onto Sabine. Her face cracked on Sabine's helmet drawing blood from the nose.

Sabine ripped Sera's hand off of her neck as Sera struggled to push herself back up. Sabine gasped for air but didn't let her lack of oxygen distract her. Using her free hand she grabbed Sera's torso and flipped her onto her back on the table. She rolled over on top of Sera and punched her as hard as she could, once again striking Sera's bleeding nose. The skin on Sera's nose cracked again and Sabine felt bones break. Before she could hit again Sera pulled her knees up to her chest and kicked Sabine in the chest with both feet throwing her off of the table and onto the floor.

Sabine cried in pain as the broken rib shifted from the impact. She grimaced but held her momentum and rolled onto her knees and then stood up holding her knife in a reverse grip in front of her as Sera stood up from the table.

Sera snarled fiercely, blood dripped down her nose and face as she began to circle Sabine around the darkened room.

"I can do this all day." Sera said almost maniacally in a way that made Sabine's spine shiver.

"Too bad It's gonna end soon then." Sabine spat back. Sera was a surprisingly good fighter but Sabine knew she was better. Sabine was going to enjoy putting Sera in her place, especially after she betrayed Ezra.

"Yeah, it is." Sera said. She reached down and pulled a blaster from under her jacket. As she raised it Sabine took advantage of what opportunity she had and charged. She was on Sera within a moment and grabbed Sera's blaster hand holding it down between them. Sera fired three times just missing Sabine's feet by inches. Sabine raised up her knife and went to bring it down between Sera's shoulder and neck but was stopped by Sera grabbing her own wrist and twisting. Sabine dropped the knife in the pain from her opponent's steel grip but didn't let go of the blaster.

Sera smiled inches away from Sabine's face, an evil look in her eyes.

"I just don't see what Ezra sees in you." She whispered as blood fell from her nose and onto her lips. An idea formed in Sabine's mind but she had to act quick before Sera managed to slide out of her grip. Sabine reared her head back then swung it forward at Sera's face. The forehead of her helmet hit Sera in the nose cracking it again and dazing the woman. Sabine pulled back and headbutted Sera again higher this time hitting her in the head, she felt Sera's grip grow weak then hit her again. After the third time, Sera's grip failed completely and she collapsed to the ground.

Sabine knelt down ignoring the protest in her back and ribs and picked up the knife and blaster pistol and holstered them accordingly. Sera moaned in pain as Sabine grabbed her under the shoulders and dragged her towards the airlock. Once inside the airlock she dropped Sera onto the ground not caring for how much it might have hurt then walked back into the hallway and locked the door behind her.

As much as she wanted to kill Sera, she couldn't. It wasn't her place and it took every fiber of her being to not just space the traitor right then and there.

 _Ezra will decide what happens to her._ Sabine told herself silently and forcing herself to walk away.

 _Ezra!_ Sabine realized she still didn't know where Ezra was or if he was alright. With her last bit of energy she sprinted through the ship and into the cockpit. She sighed with relief at seeing Ezra in the co-pilot's chair.

"Sabine!" Ezra yelled in elation as she knelt down in front of him and immediately began working on the binders holding him to the chair. Her fingers fumbled and shook as she tried to get them off, whether it was exhaustion or nerves she didn't know.

"This is why I can't let you go anywhere without me." Sabine teased to try and play off her sudden anxiety.

"I guess you'll just have to keep me around then." Ezra quipped playfully getting Sabine to look up at him as he warmly smiled down at her. "Thanks for saving my ass, Sabine."

She felt her whole body begin to shake after getting the first set off of Ezra's good arm. Ezra immediately began working on the ones holding his other arm and then his legs. Thankfully, he didn't notice her sudden change of demeanor, she didn't even understand what was going on and would have no idea of how to explain it to Ezra. She was just glad he was okay.

It was only then that she realized that she had been scared that entire time and it was finally over. She was scared for Ezra, worried that she would never see him again.

 _He's right in front of me. It's okay._ Sabine chastised herself for being so emotional and took a deep breath to steady herself. She held the breath in then let it out after a moment's pause.

She helped Ezra get the last set of bindings off of his leg then helped him stand up. His cybernetic arm hung limp at his side.

"What happened to your arm?" Sabine asked frantically as she took it in her hands and inspected the parts of it that she could see which wasn't much.

"Sera disabled it. Drugged me too so I couldn't use the force." Ezra mumbled. She saw a look of realization and panic in his eyes.

"Where is Ahsoka?" He asked, his eyes were frantic with fear.

"She's fine." Sabine told him. "She and the others are on their way to us right now."

"And Sera?" Ezra asked.

"I have her locked up in the airlock." Sabine told him softly to try and calm him down. She knew from experience what it was like to be betrayed the way Ezra had. She also knew that he would want to talk to Sera which only frightened her. Just because Sera was locked up didn't mean she couldn't hurt him anymore.

"I have to talk to her." Ezra said turning and immediately beginning to walk of the cockpit.

"Ezra-" Sabine reached out to try and stop him.

"-I can handle it, Sabine." He interrupted her. Sabine closed her mouth and relented, realizing he was at least partially right. He may not be able to handle it but he had to talk to her after what she did to him. She followed Ezra out of the cockpit and pointed him in the direction of the airlock then went to get the ship back up and running.

* * *

Ezra stood at the top of the comm tower with his arms crossed on the railing and his chin resting on them as he looked out towards capital city. It had been two days since Sera disappeared.

Nobody had heard from her, nobody had seen her. She was gone. Ezra couldn't even bring himself to cry over it. It was as if he had already known it was going to happen. It only made sense to him, everybody close to him disappeared without a trace. It didn't make it any easier for him to deal with but he just felt like there was something he could have done.

He went through dozens of possible scenarios in his head of where she could be and he had searched the entire city for her to no avail. Now he was stuck sitting and waiting just hoping that maybe, unlike his family, Sera would actually come home.

After nearly hours of silence and the moons came and went, Ezra finally came to a conclusion and moved away from the railing and down the comm tower. He was going to go it alone from then on he told himself. No more relying on people or even getting close to people. Sera was the only good person left in the galaxy and she was gone.

Unless somebody gave him a reason to think otherwise, Ezra planned on spending the rest of his life alone.

* * *

Ezra walked towards the airlock, his heart beating faster and faster with each step until he came to the window on the door. He could see a faint silhouette of Sera in the darkness as she began to stir and stand up.

"So I guess this is it, huh?" Sera groaned as she slowly stood up and walked toward the window. Her face was covered in blood and her nose was broken and swollen. "Just gonna lock me up?"

"Why'd you do it, Sera?" Ezra asked ignoring her question. Sera sighed and looked away. The lights came back on illuminating the ship and showing Ezra just how beat up Sera really was.

"I couldn't just walk away from Maul, Ezra. He saved my life, he saved me from slavery." She said.

"And then he made you a slave of his own." Ezra argued shaking his head in frustration. "Don't you see that?"

"Of course I do!" Sera yelled slamming her hands on the door in between them. "If I betrayed him he would hunt me down and torture me to death. I've seen him do it before. I thought that if I just gave him the holocron that you and I could slip away and he wouldn't care." She said. "I just wanted to be free, Ezra and I wanted you to be safe from him."

"Well look how that turned out." Ezra joked dryly with a nod towards her impromptu prison.

"And now you're not safe from him." Sera warned. "He will stop at nothing to get that holocron from you, Ezra. You're not safe."

"I was never safe." Ezra said shaking his head. "But at least I'm with people I love and can actually trust."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Sera said coldly as she turned away from Ezra and started to type something into the console next to the airlock door. Ezra heard Sabine come around the corner. He exchanged glances with her as she came and stood next to him.

"What are you doing?" Ezra asked as he readied for the door to open and her to try and escape.

"The door is locked." Sabine told him with a shrug.

"Sabine isn't who you think she is, Ezra." Sera said without looking at him. "She is responsible for more death and terror than even Maul."

Ezra looked to Sabine to see her skin go pale as she stared at Sera with a blank look.

"What is she talking about?" Ezra asked Sabine.

He looked back to Sera who was now facing the two of them as tears streamed down her face. "I did this to keep Ezra safe, Sabine. I hope you'll do the right thing and keep him safe by staying away from him. Death follows you wherever you go." She said.

"What?" Ezra asked. Sera hit one last button on the council then a beeping noise came over the speaker. It sounded like a countdown.

"I'm so sorry, Ezra." Sera said. "But I can't be a prisoner again." She walked up to the window and pressed her palm against it. It was only then that Ezra realized what Sera was doing. She wasn't trying to get into the ship at all. She was trying to get out.

"Sera, no!" Ezra screamed as he tried to open the airlock door.

"Ezra!" Sabine tried to pull him back but he broke free and kept trying to unlock it. It wouldn't open though, it had been completely shut down from the inside. He watched in horror as Sera smiled one last time at him before the airlock door behind her opened. She was instantly sucked out of the airlock and into cold dark space in an instant. Ezra screamed in protest still frantically trying to open the door as if it would help him save her in some way.

Sera's body drifted away leaving Ezra only with the sight of blackness and the stars as he threw his fist into the door in anger repeatedly and slid down to the floor. He couldn't feel anything. Even though he was staring aimlessly at the floor, all he could see was his childhood best friend, the person who taught him how to survive, who taught him that there was still good in the galaxy, being sucked out into space and effectively dying for the second time.

He closed his eyes in desperation as tears flowed under his eyelids. He tried to picture anything else, to even think of anything else, but nothing came to him.

He felt Sabine wrap her arms around him. She heard him whispering words of comfort into his ear and felt the skin of her cheek on his neck as she hugged him but he didn't comprehend any of it. It felt like hours before he saw or felt anything other than losing Sera again.

Slowly, though, another more violent and hateful thought came to Ezra's mind.

Maul was going to pay.

* * *

"Master, we have received word of our Vorzyd operation." Maul's apprentice, Wil, said to him.

"And?" Maul asked impatiently. It had been days since they were supposed to check in with a report on the success of their mission and Maul was growing tired of relying on incompetent Mercenaries to do his work. The other option was to expose himself and that would draw the attention of the Empire, something that he had to admit only to himself that his forces couldn't handle yet. Not until they had what they needed from the Holocron.

"They…" Wil paused, Maul scowled at his apprentices apprehension. "They're all dead, master."

Maul inhaled deeply and allowed his rage to flow through his mind. He kept it inside though, there was a time and place for allowing anger to be shown in such a way. At the moment, he needed to be collected, he needed to demonstrate to his followers he was still in control of the situation. Luckily, he had accounted for this failure and had a much more simple plan in mind. One that all of his followers would be happy to oblige in.

"Very well." Maul said as a sickening smile crossed his lips revealing his sharp teeth. He turned to Wil, he took his lightsaber from his belt and observed it excitedly. It had been too long since he had the chance to kill with it and this plan of his counted on killing as many people as possible.

"I'll handle it myself."

* * *

 **AN: Well that concludes this arc. The next arc will be the mid-season finale equivalent. However, I won't be taking a three month break before writing new content because I'm not cruel. I'll probably just take a single week off to recharge so just a heads up although that won't be happening for a while because the next arc will be a couple of chapters long. Additionally, I believe I posted this in a AN before but I changed the name of Mauls lead apprentice to Wil, it was previously Jaden but I changed it to avoid confusion with Jaden Montari (Revan).**


	16. Reflections in Each Other

**Chapter 15: Reflections in Each Other**

* * *

Sabine made her way through Chopper base. She felt like she had to force each step to move herself forward and her mind screamed at her to just go back to the Ghost and leave Ezra alone.

They had arrived back in Atollon hours earlier and Ezra had immediately gone back to his quarters on the base, he hadn't talked to anybody on the trip back. Not even Ahsoka.

After a few painful minutes, Sabine reluctantly made it to Ezra's room. She stood in front of the door blankly, unsure of what to do or even what to say to him. Part of her wanted to just sit down and hold him and tell him how she really felt about him. She had lost friends before and even been betrayed by them but nothing like what Ezra had just gone through. The other part of her just repeated Sera's last words to her in her head.

 _Death follows you._ The words echoed in her head like an omen. Sera knew about Sabine's past and she was telling the truth. She was responsible for more death than Maul and even at a much younger age. Ezra deserved better than that, it hurt her more than she was willing to admit but she knew that Sera was right.

 _Would he understand though?_ Sabine asked herself. Cutting things off with him before they even had the chance to truly begin would hurt him too.

 _I should tell him about my past. Maybe it would be easier for him to just hate me._ Sabine reasoned. She knew it was the most irrational and self-deprecating option, but it seemed to be the only option that didn't hurt Ezra.

Sabine cursed at herself calling herself a stupid fool for even considering the idea that she could have a relationship with Ezra. The way she felt about him was undeniable, and the way he made her feel so...happy was the most wonderful feeling she had ever experienced. But eventually he would have found out about who she really was, what she had done, and all of those feelings, all of that blissfulness would have come crashing down around them. It was doomed from the start.

She wouldn't have to tell him if they were just friends though, at least not yet. Which really only left Sabine with one option left in her mind. She would always feel the way she did for Ezra but she couldn't pursue a relationship with him. If she did, he would only hate her more when he found out the truth about her.

 _Ezra will move on._ Sabine said. She wouldn't, but she was confident that he could grow beyond her and find somebody who deserved his love. Sabine backed away from the door ignoring how much she wanted to go be with Ezra. He needed to grieve and she wasn't the right person to help him with it.

Sabine shook her head in frustration. _I'm sorry Ezra. You deserve better._ Sabine turned away from the door telling herself she would still always be by his side but that, as things stood, a relationship would only hurt them both so it couldn't happen. Sabine finally decided to leave determining that she couldn't help. She went to find Ahsoka hoping that she would be able to succeed where she had failed.

* * *

Ezra sat in his room alone, the only light on was the one on his desk leaving the entire space in a strangely dim light that casted odd shadows across the floor and walls. Ezra didn't mind though, he didn't even really notice. All he could think of was Maul, he could hear the Zabrak's voice, see his gleeful evil eyes and almost even feel him in the room with him. It had haunted him ever since what happened to Sera.

 _Sera._ Ezra said the name as if the name itself was equivalent with melancholy. The last words she said still rang in his mind like a grim reminder of Maul's power over her.

 _I can't be a prisoner again._ Ezra repeated the words. Maul had such control over Sera that she would rather die than even face the possibility of facing him again. The prospect of that reality terrified Ezra. He had told himself time and time again that he and Ahsoka could defeat Maul but with everything that had happened, he had nothing left in his mind but doubt and questions without any answers.

Maul had tricked him on Malachor, nearly killed Kanan, fought off Ezra and Ahsoka with ease, cut off Ezra's arm, now he had manipulated and controlled one of the strongest people Ezra knew into being a slave. Most importantly, he had been one step ahead of them in all of it. Maul somehow knew everything he needed to know about Ezra and the rebels, but Ezra knew nothing about Maul or what it was he wanted other than the holocron.

Ezra's head perked up as he realized where he could find answers. He quickly left his room and went to Ahsoka's. He unlocked and opened the door with the force without even breaking his stride and entered happy to see that his friend and teacher was not inside.

There was no way in hell she would be okay with what was going through his mind.

 _She doesn't need to know until I can get answers._ Ezra reached out with the force to find what he was looking for, it didn't take much. It was calling to him still just like when he found it on Vorzyd, it wanted him to find it. Ezra walked towards the footlocker he felt it coming from and opened it. It was full of Ahsoka's belongings which made him slightly uneasy. He may have been a thief but rifling through a friends belongings had always felt wrong to him.

 _Get over it._ Ezra said to himself rolling his eyes and digging to the bottom of the footlocker until his hand found a familiar object. It was cold to the touch and sent a tingling sensation up his hand and arm to his very core. He pulled the Sith holocron out of the container and held it up in front of him as he bit his lip apprehensively. The Holocron reacted to his contemplation as if it was staring back at him, goading him forward into going through with his plan.

After a short moment, Ezra re-established his conviction. It had to be done, Ahsoka had warned him it would hurt him, but he didn't care. Maul would kill everyone he loved if he didn't get answers.

 _Sacrifice one for the many._ Ezra thought to himself as he sat himself on the edge of Ahsoka's bed and held the holocron in his open hands in front of him. His foot began tapping nervously forcing him to actively focus on keeping it still. He took a deep breath held it then let it out to try and relax his nerves.

"Okay. It must open just like the Jedi holocrons." He said to nobody in particular or maybe just to reassure himself.

He closed his eyes slowly and furrowed his brow as he began to concentrate. Ahsoka and Kanan had both taught him about the dark side. He had even used it before but it was never on purpose.

 _Kanan and Ahsoka taught me to use the light, Jaden and Bastila showed me about whatever that was on Kashyyyk, I just need to take that one step further._

 _Hate, passion, lust for power, anger, fear._ Ezra reminded himself of everything he had been told that led to the dark side. He channelled those feelings slowly, reminding himself of all of the times he had experienced those raw emotions. He was reminded of Kanan after Malachor, lying unconscious in the Phantom, his eyes scarred and cloudy. The fear of losing Kanan flooded his mind and the hatred he had for Maul accompanied it hand in hand. He remembered how much he wanted to use the holocron to gain it's knowledge and to hunt Maul down and make him pay for what he did, he still wanted that.

Something changed not just in Ezra, but in his entire surrounding. He felt a shift in his hands and the tingling sensation turned nearly electric as it coursed through his body with pure coldness. The lights in the room dimmed and Ezra couldn't see anybody but he could feel them in the room with him. It was as if he was surrounded by dozens of Inquisitors. All of them boiled with hatred and a dark shadow of a soul while holding unimaginable power.

Ezra opened his eyes to see crimson light shining from the peak of the holocron as it cracked open. Whispers came with the light, slithering into Ezra's ears as quickly as they could. They all promised power, revenge, control, destruction, and pain.

" _We can show you how to defeat Maul."_

He looked up from the holocron at hearing more whispers from around him as if they weren't coming from the holocron but right in front of him. There was a mirror on the wall directly across from him. First he only noticed the holocron, then he looked further up, his eyes widened in fear at the sight.

It wasn't him.

Or it was, only different. In the mirror he saw himself with yellow eyes and pale skin. His cheeks were gaunt but his body told stories of strength and power.

"How?" Ezra asked the whispers as he stared at his altered self uneasily, the image of himself in the mirror didn't move.

" _Become what you need to become._ " The whispers said. " _Let who you are die."_

" _Let your spirit die. Leave Ezra Bridger behind, become something stronger, more powerful and impossible to destroy or harm."_.

"No." Ezra protested. "Just tell me what Maul wants!"

" _The same thing you want, Ezra Bridger."_ The Whispers replied. " _Power."_

"No, I want answers!" Ezra replied.

" _They are one in the same."_ The Whispers said.

"Then show me!" Ezra yelled impatiently. The manifestation faded away into nothing and the holocron glowed in a deep powerful red at Ezra's request. Ezra's body went numb as visions and noises began to flash in his eyes.

The vision of two massive fleets in space above a planet that was covered in plains and sprawling oceans. Ezra didn't recognize the ships, they constantly shifted in shapes and size making themselves unidentifiable as they rained down destruction upon each other. He could hear the screams and feel the death of every person. Then, within an instant, everything changed. The screams multiplied exponentially as every ship failed and imploded and was drawn towards the beautiful planet utterly destroying it.

Ezra felt the death, all of the lifeforce being severed. So many people suffering from fear in their last moment while only one remained alive, victorious, and unscarred.

The image changed yet again showing another planet, this time a city world, or what once was a city. The buildings were crumbling and collapsing around Ezra. No screams of fear was heard or felt though. Everything was already dead. Ezra didn't have to look far to see the thousands of bodies surrounding him. Human, Twi'lek, Bothan, Rodian, Sullust, Mon Calamari, Quarrens and hundreds of other species covered every square inch of the streets surrounding Ezra for as far as he could see. Among the civilians though were just as many stormtroopers, Imperial officers, and even Inquisitors.

Ezra's spine shivered and his heart rate spiked rapidly at the sight. Everything was dead. The image began to fade again, giving Ezra a new sight. This one struck a nervous chord in his heart making him even more uneasy.

A lone figure sat at the helm of a ship, facing the city planet below them, half of the planet was scorched with flames but the figure did nothing. Ezra wondered if maybe the planet was the one he had just seen.

" _You can stop Maul. You can stop the Empire. You can protect everything you have ever loved."_ Ezra heard the whispers echo around him as he apprehensively began to walk towards the figure facing away from him. He tried to hold his feet back but his body didn't listen and pushed him forward.

" _Do not resist and you will become the most powerful being in the galaxy. You will never have to be afraid again, Ezra Bridger."_ Ezra slowly walked to the side of the chair to see who sat in it.

It was him. Yellow eyes, a black hood and black armor.

"No, No, No." Ezra repeated the word as if it would will away what he was seeing. He was the one who caused everything he had seen in the vision.

" _Yes."_ The Whispers said. The dark version of Ezra stood up to his full height and walked towards Ezra. He couldn't move or even try to run. He gasped for air as his doppelganger activated a white lightsaber in his hand.

 _That's Ahsoka's!_ Ezra's imagination quickly allowed him to understand what his possession of the weapon meant.

"No!" Ezra screamed willfully. The vision faded right as his doppelganger swung the saber at him. He was once again alone in Ahsoka's room with the holocron in his palms. In a panic Ezra placed both of his hands on the peak of the holocron and closed it as the Whispers began to scream at him. They were cut short as the holocron was once again closed, the light inside faded but remained just enough to remind Ezra that it was still there.

Ezra breathed frantically, his heartbeat in his chest and ears like a drum drowning out any other noise as he tried to regain his composure.

 _It was just a trick._ Ezra thought to himself. _I'll never become that. I would rather die._

He cursed at himself for trying to find answers in such a foolish way and put the holocron away before leaving the room to try and calm himself.

* * *

Kanan opened his eyes only to see nothing in front of him. It was the only habit he still had yet to break. It made his heart ache a little every time he woke up. He would never see anything again, at least not while he was awake, a condition that would make most people want to sleep more, so that they could dream but not Kanan. The visions had come back again, the same ones he presumed Ahsoka was still seeing, they were more frequent now than ever, coming to him every night and replaying throughout the entirety of his slumber.

He had only concluded two new things about the vision. The first was that the majority of it most definitely took place on Lothal. The second was that it was going to happen very soon. The frequency of the vision told him as much. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen in the next few days with or without him which left him with only one question.

Should he go?

"I sense conflict in you, Kanan Jarrus." Bendu's deep tonal voice reverberated through Kanan's body helping him wake up. Kanan groaned from stiffness as he rolled over and crawled out of his small shelter.

"It's the visions." Kanan said. "It's going to happen soon."

"Yes." Bendu replied both as if he was confirming Kanan's statement and going deep into thought. "You feel you aren't ready for what is to come."

"I'm a blind Jedi." Kanan said. "I grew up in a war. The only thing I know is how to fight, how can I protect the people I care about if I can't even fight."

"Ahh." He felt Bendu kneel down close to him and huff defiantly. "But you can fight." Bendu said, his breath blowing Kanan's loose hair back. "Both physically," He felt a large finger gently prod his forehead. "And with your mind." He felt Bendu stand and turn away from him.

"You have learned everything you need to know from me, Kanan Jarrus, Jedi Knight."

"But I-" Kanan hung his head shamefully. "I'm still afraid."

"Fear is natural." Bendu said plainly.

"Not for a Jedi." Kanan said reciting the teachings of Grandmaster Yoda in his head.

 _Fear is the path to the dark side._

"I have existed for time beyond your comprehension. I have met Jedi and Sith. Warriors of both the Ashla and the Bogan, some of them were one in the same." Bendu said turning back towards Kanan and moving his face too close to Kanan that the Jedi had to step back.

"All of them had fear." Bendu said. "The most fearful of them all was a man who came back from the Bogan or dark side as you call it."

"You reminded me of him." Bendu said. "So conflicted and so sure of the teachings that others had bestowed upon you without ever stopping to think of what you felt to be right. I did not call you here to erase your fear, Kanan Jarrus."

"Then why?" Kanan asked sighing in frustration.

"To show you that there is so much more than the Sith and the Jedi. You can stand firmly in the Ashla but not follow the way of the Jedi. Every living thing in the galaxy feels fear, anger and hatred. To deny those emotions is to deny the life within you. To be so distraught by the idea of having fear is fear in itself is it not?"

Kanan paused, mulling over Bendu's words carefully. The words reminded him of Grandmaster Yoda, so simply put but with such a high meaning that it seemed as if there was another meaning beyond it.

"I think I understand." Kanan finally said upon coming to agreement in his mind.

"Then it is time for you to go, Kanan Jarrus."

* * *

"All units are in position." Rook Kast said from beside Maul, her modulated voice was emotionless and calm as always. Even in the face of battle, she was unshakable and his most loyal servant.

"Good." Maul replied with a thin smirk as he looked upon their target, a large grouping of tall spire like rocks unique to the Lothal countryside. All of their intel had confirmed that the local rebel group was based here due to the Empire's inability to send in heavy armor to flush them out. They could just bomb the place from the air but Maul knew that even the Imperials were not stupid enough to waste materials in such a way. The locals all knew there were very elaborate natural cave systems that were common in the spire mountains allowing anybody inside to avoid aerial bombardment.

Maul had no such plans for heavy armor or aerial bombardment though. He had the best soldiers in the galaxy with him, multiple Mandalorian houses worth of warriors who had all managed to easily pass their vessels as trading ships upon entering the system.

The soldiers and his numerous apprentices surrounded the kilometer wide spire formation now, as Kast had informed him, which meant it was time to act.

Maul stood up on the crest of the small knoll and walked toward the spires. He knew the rebels were watching him. He wasn't afraid though, in fact he welcomed the challenge of them having the advantage of cover. It would at the very least help even the fight for them. Even with their advantages though, he knew it would still be an easy fight for him.

He took each step confidently as he saw all of his soldiers slowly do the same with weapons raised. They closed in around the spire formation from all sides while another smaller unit remained outside the perimeter in case any stragglers made it past them.

Maul sensed a life threatening danger seconds in advance.

 _Weak willed scum._ Maul elated as he activated his saber just as a staccato of blaster fire erupted from multiple narrow pathways in between the spires. Maul's soldiers slowed, returning fire. He however, kept his pace. Not even bothering to deflect most of the shots, he only blocked the ones that were surely going to hit them while the rest he let fly by unabated.

He made it another twenty yards or so before he could finally make out his opponents. They wore what looked like homemade camouflage that matched the spired rocks and light dirt perfectly in color hiding everything except for their faces.

He saw one of the rebels aim directly at him, the rebel carried some type of blaster rifle that was covered in the same camouflage as his clothes.

 _Clever._ Maul smiled as the rebel fired. He hunched down and flicked the wrist holding his lightsaber ever so slightly. The blood red bolt hit his crimson saber at just the right moment and careened back at it's sender. Maul was jubilant at the sight of the soldier's eyes widening in fear, his entire life flashing before his eyes as his own blaster bolt sunk itself into his chest electrifying him with force and pure pain before killing him.

Two more soldiers fired directly at Maul. He sidestepped the first shot that came from the peak of the spire then deflected the second shot at the top of said spire. Rock crumbled from the peak and along with it tumbled another man who screamed in fear as he fell. The screams only stopped after a low thud of a body hitting dirt.

Maul blocked a few more shots and rolled away from a grenade explosion, dirt and dust flew through the air as shrapnel whistled by his ear. Maul looked to Rook Kast beside him and growled. "Focus fire! Push them back!"

Kast nodded in return then ordered her followers. Maul heard the order through his comms confirming she did as she was told. "Lay down suppressing fire. Force a retreat then trap them in the center!"

Maul heard affirmatives from all of the other houses and their respective commanders as well as his apprentices. Upon the confirmation he pushed forward in a full sprint making a personal target of three Rebels firing at him. He spun his saber in both hands deflecting most of their shots. As he closed in he jumped as high and as far as he could. He could see what looked to be a sense of fear and awe in their eyes as his acrobatics took him nearly ten feet above them. He landed behind them lightly with a roll then arced his saber behind him, standing and spinning on his heel. The edge of his saber tore through the midsection of one rebel making him scream in a joyous agony.

The other two fired at Maul but he was too fast. He jumped to the side, planting his foot on one of the spires and then launched himself to the space between the two rebels. He could have killed them instantly and painlessly, but he didn't want to. Instead he landed in a roll and landed on his knees, he spun on the toe of his foot and brought his saber out in a wide arc cutting a leg off of each soldier. Both of them screamed and collapsed to the ground sending a cloud of dust up into the air. Maul smiled and stood up to his full height.

He stepped towards the first dismembered victim who pleaded with open hands.

"Please! No!"

"Pathetic." Maul scowled hoping for more of a fight in the wounded soldier. He raised his saber up in both hands and plunged one end of it down into the soldier's chest. The man's eyes held on for a moment before losing all signs of life. His body fell limp and he sighed one last breath before Maul pulled the saber out.

He turned just in time to deflect a shot from the other dismembered soldier.

"Much better." Maul smiled. The soldier fired again screaming as he did so. Maul deflected each shot, taking short, calculated steps before he finally deflected one of the bolts back into the soldier's blaster. The blaster erupted and was knocked out of the man's hand, leaving him unarmed. Maul stooped down and grabbed the soldier by his neck with his free hand.

Relying on the force to assist his strength he yanked the soldier up off of the ground as he stood to full height. The rebel squirmed and clawed at Maul's hand to no avail as he gasped for air.

"You have a bit of fight in you." Maul complimented the soldier's constitution. The soldier kicked with his feet but only hit Maul's cybernetic legs with a heavy clank. Maul laughed and continued to squeeze harder and harder with his hand until the soldiers head rolled limply and his feet stopped squirming.

Once he was sure that his toy was dead, Maul dropped the soldier and turned to look further into the spire formation with a deadly look in his eyes. Rook Kast came to his side, heavy repeater blaster ready. The two walked side by side through the narrow pathways, occasionally encountering their own people and less often than Maul would have liked, their prey.

That didn't stop him or Kast from making the most of the situation. Maul felt a sense of pride and companionship in Kast at each rebel they encountered. The woman was the very reason why Mandalorians were known as the best warriors in the galaxy and she enjoyed delivering the pain as much as Maul did. The way she killed was an artform even though she used such uncivilized weapons in Maul's opinion.

Whoever Maul didn't get to first was cut down in a glorious display of fire by Kast's repeater or on the rare occasion taken down in a brutal display of hand to hand.

It was magnificent.

They tore through the rebel defences, each taking down roughly ten more soldiers before they encountered what the maps had told them was the center of the formation. With the center came exactly what Maul's plans were made for.

The pathway he was on ended in a massive junction that sprawled off in multiple directions. Every pathway was filled with his Mandalorian soldiers, each led by one of his apprentices. Directly across from him he could see Wil Kast with his darksaber held proudly, the boy had blood spattered across his helmet indicating he had managed to dispatch some enemies with his knife.

In between them were what remained of the Rebel forces with their hands raised in surrender. He knew without a doubt that some had escaped into the caves and would elude capture but he didn't care. He only needed one of them. The additional ten or so would only help his plan exponentially.

The Mandalorians spread out into the junction, taking weapons away from the fighters and lining them up for Maul.

After the rebels were lined up, Maul walked down the row with a calculated stare at each of them. He instantly picked out the leader of the bunch. An older man with a long brimmed hat that hid most of his face as he dipped his head low, he was larger in stature than most and Maul spotted a few of the others casting glances at the man.

Maul grabbed the man by the scruff of his chin. "Look at me." He commanded as he yanked the man's beard upward. The man woefully obliged with a grimace, his eyes defiantly stared up at Maul, promising violence if he were to be let free.

 _A true rebel._ Maul admired the will and perseverance that he could feel in the old man's soul.

"Who are you?" Maul asked.

"Ryder Azadi." The man answered fearlessly. He bore his name proudly knowing that at the end of the day, a name was just a name and held no true meaning.

"Well then, Ryder. I need something of you." Maul said.

"You won't get anything from me!" Ryder spat. Maul shook his head and paced back and forth in front of Azadi and clicked his tongue impatiently.

"I haven't even told you what I want yet." Maul said. He pointed one end of his deactivated lightsaber at the soldier kneeling next to Azadi. With a small bit of added pressure on his thumb the saber activated, the blade ignited inside the soldiers gut making, his screams of pain were music in Maul's ears. Better yet were the signs of panic in the now dead man's comrades. He watched as Ryder's eyes narrowed in rage but he remained unmoved.

"Very well then." Maul said walking over to another soldier who struggled and tried to flee. A member of clan Wren clasped a heavy gauntlet on the rebel and forced him back down to his knees. The soldier frantically looked around him for any escape as Maul slowly brought the tip of his lightsaber up to the man's neck.

"I will keep killing you all in the most painful and slowest ways possible until one of you gives me what I need." Maul inched the saber closer, the man groaned through clenched teeth as the weapon began to burn his flesh.

"Alright!" Ryder yelled, his shoulders slumped in resignation and shame.

"Ryder, don't!" One of the other soldiers yelled. The old man stood to his feet with his hands raised and looked in both directions at the remaining survivors.

"I won't let you all suffer so I can keep my pride intact." He said. He looked to Maul who still held the lightsaber at the throat of the rebel.

"What do you want?" Ryder asked.

"You have a holocomm that has access to rebel frequencies." Maul said. Ryder hesitantly nodded. "All I want are the codes needed to send a message to your leaders. That is all."

"Fine." Ryder said. "Just don't hurt any more of my people."

"Very well." Maul said lowering the saber and deactivating it. His followers kept the surviving soldiers lined up and on their knees though. Maul sent a few soldiers and Wil Kast to follow Ryder and help him bring the holocomm back to where he was.

After a few minutes, Ryder was back and the holocomm was placed down in front of Maul and powered up. Maul stood between the holocomm and the line of Rebels as he faced the device. Ryder entered the codes discreetly, Maul didn't bother to learn them himself. He only needed to send one message. Once the device was activated and transmitting, Maul nodded to Rook Kast who grabbed Ryder by the shoulder and pushed the man back into the lineup.

"To the leaders of the rebels in this sector." Maul addressed his audience with spite. "As you can see, we have broken your petty resistance movement on Lothal. As you can see we have not yet killed them all and we have not yet harmed any of the locals." he stated with grace as if he was doing the rebels a favor.

"However, Lady Tano and Ezra Bridger are in possession of something that rightfully belongs to me." He growled and the anger spilled over into his voice and eyes as he spoke. "Starting now, we will begin crushing the very soul of this backwater planet and its people until you have brought to me what I am owed." Maul brought his hand up and clenched it into a fist.

"We will kill every last man, woman, and child on this planet. We will burn it's wildlife and vegetation to the ground and we will obliterate any sign of civilization until this planet is nothing but a husk of what it once was." Maul looked back to Kast and nodded.

Without hesitation Kast looked to her comrades and gave the affirmative. All of them fired at once at the surviving rebels. Each soldier including Azadi was shot in the back of the head and their bodies collapsed on the dirt as Maul turned back to the holocomm.

"Bridger and Tano, I suggest you hurry."

* * *

Ezra could feel his body shaking with rage after seeing what Maul just did to Ryder and the other rebels. Their lives extinguished so casually and all so Maul could make a point. He could tell Sato, Hera, and Ahsoka were equally disturbed by the message but none of them had said anything yet.

"We have to go. We have to send every ship and soldier we have." Ezra said, his eyes still blankly staring at the bodies as the transmission remained paused at the end of the message.

"We will no longer be able to follow through with our assault on Imperial cities on Lothal." Commander Sato said. "We cannot go to Lothal."

"What?!" Ezra protested loudly and turned to face Sato who stood still with his hands crossed behind his back. "You have to be kidding me!"

"Ezra!" Hera interjected warning him to watch his step.

"No! We have to go and we have to show Sabine! Those are Mandalorians working with Maul. Maybe she could convince them to turn on him!"

"Maul will draw out Imperial forces to Lothal, they will blockade the planet and it will become a warzone." Sato said. "I will not send our people into imminent death for no good reason. We simply cannot compete against the might of a Mandalorian contingent and the Imperial army. I am sorry, Mr. Bridger, but for now, the people of Lothal are on their own."

"Then, Ahsoka and I will go alone. We can take the YT-2000." Ezra didn't want to go back on that ship after what happened on it but it was easily one of the best ships in their fleet and he was technically named it's captain by Sato despite not being awarded the rank much to his frustration.

"Absolutely not." Hera protested crossing her arms. Ezra looked up to Ahsoka to see her crossing her arms as well, her eyes were cold and blank, likely the same look he had on his face when watching the transmission.

"Ahsoka?" Ezra asked hoping that at least she stood by him in the matter. The blankness in her eyes faded at hearing her name and she simply looked at Ezra somberly.

"I want to go as much as you do, Ezra." She said. "But, currently, I don't see any way in which you and I can protect an entire planet from two entire armies without dying."

 _Cowards._ Ezra almost said. He didn't truly mean it but at the moment it was the only word to describe how he felt about their inaction.

Ezra shook his head and stormed away from the holo-table. He felt Ahsoka reach out to him mentally but pushed her away as he walked out of the command center and then out of the hangar into the open air of Atollon.

He mindlessly walked towards the edge of the mesa where him and Ahsoka had spent countless days training.

"Ezra!" He heard Ahsoka's voice from behind him making him twinge in anger.

"Just leave me alone!" Ezra yelled turning on Ahsoka.

"That's the last thing you need right now." Ahsoka said, her own annoyance becoming evident in her voice. "Sit down." She said pointing at the ground. "This is long overdue."

"I don't need another lesson." Ezra sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose. Ahsoka ignored him and sat down on her knees placing her hands on her thighs. She looked up at Ezra expectantly and defiantly, indicating she would not relent.

Ezra thought about just leaving but could tell she would just follow him if he did. He groaned and sighed again before sitting down next to Ahsoka.

"Close your eyes." Ahsoka said. Ezra closed his eyes and habitually extended himself as Ahsoka and Kanan had taught him.

"No." Ahsoka said. "Don't look outward. Don't reach out." She said. "Look within. Find your center and tell me what you are feeling."

Ezra scowled and immediately answered. "I'm feeling angry! Maul murdered those people!"

"Ezra," Ahsoka's voice dipped in frustration. "Please, just try."

 _Fine._ Ezra said to himself. He cut himself off from his surroundings, ignoring even Ahsoka's emotions and presence. He dug inward towards his own mind and soul. Slowly, he felt the rage fade and be replaced by something else. He no longer saw Maul, Lothal, or Ryder.

" _I'm sorry, Ezra."_ He heard Sera's voice say in his mind. A dense pit formed in his throat at hearing the familiar voice. He could see her drifting away in space as she froze to death.

"Sera." Ezra shook as he spoke.

"You see her." Ahsoka said.

"Yes." Ezra said. He tried to push it away and think of something else.

"Don't fight it, Ezra." Ahsoka pleaded.

"Why?" Ezra asked. "I don't want to feel this anymore." His heart ached and he desperately just wanted to forget it.

"You have to." Ahsoka told him calmly. "It's what is holding you back. It's distracting you and Maul will know that. I know the wound is still fresh but you have to stop being afraid of the past."

"Okay." Ezra said apprehensively. He took a deep, shaky breath and tried to fight through the fear and dig deeper in.

"You can't blame yourself for what happened to Sera, Ezra." Ahsoka said. "What happened was Maul's fault. You did everything you could, and pushing people away and feeling nothing but anger and hatred will get you nowhere."

"You told me that to feel those emotions was good though." Ezra said.

"In moderation." Ahsoka corrected him. "And directed in the right direction." Ezra felt her hand lay gently down on his shoulder.

"I know that you won't get over Sera anytime soon. Nobody expects you to. But you can't let it put your life on hold. I didn't know Sera well but I doubt she would want that for you."

Ezra felt the lump in his throat grow.

"Just promise me you'll try." Ahsoka asked of him. She stood up.

"Okay." Ezra said as a tear dripped down under his eyelid. "Where are you going?" He asked, opening and wiping away the tears in his eyes.

Ahsoka stopped and looked over his shoulder at him with a clever grin on her lips.

"I have a plan that Sato just might agree too."

* * *

The newly promoted Grand Admiral Thrawn held his hands crossed behind his back as he stood at the bridge of the Chimaera. His officers knew their orders and did not bother him with trivial matters as he had instructed them to do.

His deep red eyes carefully scanned the space in front of him as the ship jumped into hyperspace and towards its destination where he would meet with the rest of the fleet under his command.

He heard footsteps akin to a type of boot that he knew only one type of Imperial Personnel wore. Imperial Security Bureau agents. He saw the familiar frame and sandy slicked back hair of Agent Aelxsandr Kallus come into his peripheral and stand in a similar fashion as he similarly took in the beautiful sight of hyperspace. It was an evermoving piece of art, something that Thrawn had never seen any artist in the galaxy manage to successfully simulate.

"Agent Kallus." Thrawn greeted the agent politely. He had been informed that Kallus was the best agent in the bureau and would prove to be very helpful in his upcoming mission. Thrawn, however, had his doubts about the legitimacy of those claims.

Over the past three years, rebel activity in the Lothal sector had grown exponentially as had public awareness and local support of the movement. The agent who had been assigned to put an end to that rebellion before the spark created a fire was none other than Kallus himself. How such an ineffective tool could prove useful to Thrawn was currently an unknown factor to him but he took that as a welcome challenge to his intellect.

"Sir, I came to discuss the tactical plan for dealing with the terrorist attack on Lothal, we could easily draw them out if-"

"We will do nothing about the terrorists." Thrawn interjected Kallus' likely heavy handed and brutish approach.

"Sir?" Kallus asked.

"The Imperial forces planetside will deal with the Mercenary contingent." Thrawn said.

"But if they can't control the assault or hold capital city then we will lose control of the planet. The Mandalorians will continue to kill and wreak havoc." Kallus said.

"Have you stopped to think of why the Mandalorians are doing this, Agent Kallus?" Thrawn asked impatiently. He raised an eyebrow as Kallus furrowed his and looked deep in thought.

"They're terrorists. Or perhaps they want to restart the Mandalorian crusades." Kallus finally answered.

"Perhaps." Thrawn said entertaining Kallus' uneducated answer. "But if they were terrorists or crusaders then why have they not yet stated their demands or beliefs?"

"Then they want to draw us out." Kallus stated after analyzing Thrawn's rhetorical question.

"That is why I purposely leaked information that we were coming hours ago." Thrawn said in a menacing tone. "To test that very theory. As of yet, their actions have not changed which means it is likely they are trying to draw something else out. Another power in the sector such as the rebels of Phoenix squadron." Thrawn said. Kallus showed little reaction to Thrawn's statement giving birth to a suspicion. The agent was hiding something, Thrawn knew that much now but he had yet to find out what.

"We will not put any further resources into fighting the terrorists planetside. We will send detachments to protect our more valuable assets planetside and we will wait for the plans of the terrorists to bear fruit."

"And then what, sir?" Kallus asked. Thrawn smiled as his suspicion for Kallus grew even further and he realized the possible potential for the agent.

"Then we will let both the Mandalorians and the Rebels be the architects of their own destruction."

* * *

Kanan collected his belongings while a question itched in his brain. He was anxious to go, to be with everybody again. Part of him simply wanted to stay though, to avoid the disappointment that they would likely all hold for him. He knew Ezra wouldn't understand, at least not at first, but he had to hope that he could eventually forgive him.

"I sense curiosity in you, Kanan Jarrus." He heard Bendu ask as Kanan packed his belongings into his ship and ordered his astromech to prepare for take off.

"Earlier, you said you had helped a Jedi Knight come back from the dark." Kanan asked.

"I did." Bendu answered.

"Who was he?" Kanan asked. He heard Bendu shuffle and sit down, his large body coming to the ground sent vibrations through the ground.

"He was known by many names and titles in his life." Bendu said. "Jaden Montari, The Prodigal Knight, Supreme Commander of the Republic Military, and most notably...Revan."

"He was real." Kanan nearly whispered, it had confirmed his suspicions from when Bastila Shan had come to him but only left him with more questions. She had said she helped Kanan to help Ezra and she acted as if there were others.

"Was Revan the other person who wanted to help Ezra?" Kanan asked.

"Yes." Bendu answered.

"Why?" Kanan asked.

"That is not my place to answer and your question to ask, I am afraid." Bendu answered to Kanan's frustration. "You must trust that all will come to light when it is due time. Now go." Bendu said.

"I don't know how to thank you." Kanan said realizing how much Bendu had helped him. How the being had managed to effectively save him.

"Then don't" Bendu said plainly making Kanan smile at the simplicity of conversation with the omnipotent creature.

He felt Bendu fade away into nothingness leaving him alone on the strange planet that he had spent so much time. He turned his head up towards the sky taking enjoyment in the feeling of the sun on his skin. He was still anxious, scared even, of what was to come. Kanan had no idea what was truly coming. All he knew was that it was going to be painful, daunting, and that his family was about to go straight through it. Which meant he had to be there too. He took a deep breath of the familiar air then let it out before entering his ship knowing fully that we would never return.

* * *

Ahsoka nodded to Ezra telling him to go ahead and board the Ghost. The landing pads outside the hangar were electric with energy as everybody else who had volunteered for the mission prepared and boarded their own vessels. There was a contingent of Wookiee forces who had volunteered as soon as they heard Ezra was going. A few Lasat had volunteered as well as a few other squads of Rebel combatants and four starfighter pilots. It wasn't much but it would have to be enough for Ahsoka's plan.

She basked in the warm orange sun of Atollon as she looked across the mesa towards the view that she and Ezra had looked upon so many times as they trained, meditated, and sometimes just talked.

She closed her eyes and held onto those memories, reliving them and bringing a warm smile to her face. She was dreading what was coming in the future. The storm of pain and sorrow that she had long been dreaming of was coming to fruition, there was no doubt about it in her mind.

She let out a shaky breath to fight off the fear and nerves then looked back on her memories with Ezra, there was a time when she thought she would never trust somebody enough again to call them her friend. The young man had changed her mind and opened her back up to the galaxy though. He gave her hope and that, in turn, gave her strength and confidence as she turned away from the sun and boarded the Ghost knowing fully that she would never return.


	17. City on Fire

Chapter 16: City on Fire

* * *

"We're coming up on Lothal now." Hera said. The cockpit was so quiet that her voice almost sounded like it echoed. The tension on the entire ship was palpable, the other rebels all silently checked their weapons and armor preparing for whatever may come. The other pilots in their A-wings even remained quiet on the comms.

Ezra's nerves were, unfortunately for him, no different. He sat behind Hera while Sabine sat in the co-pilot seat and Ahsoka behind her. His chest felt tight but not due to the painted Jedi armor that he wore which, as Sabine had promised, fit perfectly. His nerves were due to whatever he was about to see when they dropped out of hyperspace.

The ship jolted ever so slightly and the blue light faded being replaced by an image that Ezra was sure would haunt him for the rest of his life.

 _No._ Ezra's breath hitched and his jaw dropped as he mindlessly stood up from his chair and stepped in between Sabine and Hera. He heard Sabine curse under her breath and felt his chest tighten even more at the sight before him.

Lothal was burning.

Massive storm clouds illuminated by lightning tore across the landscape. The ground no longer held it's light tan and the vast oceans had turned from a bright blue to greenish-brown. Ezra had known the Empire was polluting the planet and stripping it's resources but he had no idea they were doing it at such a scale to cause this kind of change. The part that hurt Ezra even more though, was the spot where he knew Capital City was. The entire area was lit up in a bright burning orange indicating mass destruction and innocent death. Death because of Maul. The tightness in Ezra's chest turned into heated rage.

He didn't say anything though. He knew everybody was feeling the same thing he was and all he could think about was what he was going to do to Maul.

"Ezra, I'm so sorry." Sabine said reaching out to him gently to comfort him. He welcomed the touch and felt a small sliver of serenity come with it. It was the first time he had felt even remotely at peace in days. He looked down at Sabine with a pained look in his eyes, her hazel eyes met his telling him that she was still there for him despite how distant they had been since Sera.

 _Thank you._ He wanted to say. He also just wanted to hold her hand and kiss her. To tell her how he felt but it wasn't the time or place.

Hearing Hera clear her throat, Ezra sighed when Sabine sheepishly pulled her hand away and pretended to be busy while the Twi'lek issued orders.

"Sabine, go make sure your team is ready." Hera ordered. "I'm going to need to drop you off on the opposite side of the city from the TIE Defender factory and fuel depot. Too many anti-air guns in that area."

"Copy that." Sabine said standing up and looking to Ezra. "I'll need your help planning a route through the city then."

"Right." Ezra said trying to shake himself from the shock of what he was seeing as they came closer to his home planet. Sabine left the cockpit while Ezra and Ahsoka took one last glance at Lothal from space.

It appeared as if the entire planet was at war, and soon they would be too.

* * *

Ezra and Ahsoka stood at the edge of the hologram that Chopper projected for them in the cargo bay of the Ghost. On the other side of the hologram stood Sabine and Zeb with their team members behind them. Ten Wookiees, Rex and a few other human soldiers that Ezra didn't know the names of yet.

"You'll want to head through Cikera-town here." Ezra said pointing towards the southwestern corner of a holographic map of Capital City. "It's a less direct route but the neighborhood has been abandoned for years so if you do encounter any resistance there you won't have to worry about civilians getting caught in the crossfire." He said as Sabine stood across from him with her arms crossed. Her brow was furrowed and her eyes narrowed as she took in every detail of the map carefully. Even in a time like this, Ezra couldn't help but notice how beautiful and fierce she looked at the same time.

"And then what?" Sabine asked looking up at him impatiently and tilting her head upon noticing him staring at her. He was pretty sure Zeb noticed as well but thankfully didn't say anything.

"Uhh." Ezra rubbed the back of his neck.

 _Focus._ Ezra reprimanded himself. "Take Pelamir Lane through Cikera-Town." He highlighted the specific street and traced it to the end. "Then you can take the sewers from here." He said zooming in to a junction at the end of the neighborhood.

"Not that I'm particularly fond of the idea but why can't we just take the sewers through Cikera town as well?" Sabine asked.

"The sewers there aren't mapped and they're ancient." Ezra shook his head. "I got lost in there for three days once and that was when the tunnels were still being maintained."

"Nevermind." Sabine said with a shrug.

"The sewers through the Industrial sector aren't monitored because the Empire doesn't want anybody finding out about all the toxic waste they're putting through it. So you should be able to move pretty quickly and get to the anti-air guns with enough time to spare before Hera's team shows up." Ezra finished.

"Hold on." Zeb said raising a hand in protest, his eyes wide with concern. "Did you say toxic waste?"

"Yeah." Ezra shrugged. "Not enough to kill you instantly. I've spent over six hours down there once and I turned out fine."

"Right." Zeb said sarcastically. "You and I have different definitions of fine kid." He added crossing his arms defiantly. He didn't argue any longer though, thankfully.

Ezra felt the familiar shift in gravity as the ship landed. Chopper deactivated the hologram and Ezra anxiously checked his gear. His lightsaber was clipped to his belt, he had a knife tucked in his boot and his blaster pistol on the leather thigh holster. Satisfied that his weapons were set, he checked next on his new armor. It still felt strange to wear but he couldn't deny that he felt much safer in it. The armor was surprisingly light and thin enough that he could actually wear his leather jacket over it, though he was glad he had opted not to as the cargo bay door opened allowing a heavy sweltering heat to enter the ship.

Even though the sun had mostly set, it was hotter than Ezra had ever experienced on the planet. Another sign of how much the Empire had altered the environment.

Ezra walked down the ramp and out onto the ground with the outskirts of the city only a few hundred yards away. Despite most of the lights being out, the city was illuminated in a spectrum of bright oranges and reds that were accompanied by the sound of blaster fire, explosions, and the screams of war, the likes of which Ezra had never heard nor seen before.

Ahsoka moved to stand next to him as a pit formed in his stomach. He looked over to his friend to see her eyes glazed over as if her mind was far, far away and remembering horrors of the past. He heard Zeb mutter something under his breath and saw a similar look in the Lasat's large round eyes as he watched the horizon before them.

It occurred to Ezra only then, that while he had fought in countless skirmishes and fights before, he had never truly experienced war. Not like Ahsoka and Zeb had. Now it was looking him directly in the eyes, and it was destroying his people and his home mercilessly.

"Time to move." Ezra heard Sabine say to her team but he couldn't tear his eyes away from what he was seeing. The Ghost took off behind him, sending a tidal wave of dust across the back of his neck as it took off in the opposite direction to rendezvous with its counterparts of the attack.

"Ezra." Sabine said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to look at her standing next to him and slightly behind him. Her painted helmet basked in the vibrant oranges and reds in such a way that he could partially see through her black visor. He could see and feel that she had a hundred different things she wanted to say. "Be careful." She said, her voice sounded shaky as if she was reliving horrors of her own. "Please."

Ezra nodded. "You too." He almost mumbled. Her hand slid off of his shoulder making it feel cold despite the nearly unbearable heat of the air. He woefully watched Sabine walk away leaving him and Ahsoka by themselves.

 _May the force be with you._ He said silently. It wasn't a sentiment he expected Sabine to fully appreciate nor was it something that he entirely understood but it was the only higher power he knew to exist. And he would truly take anything he could in making sure that Sabine was safe.

"Come on." Ahsoka nearly sighed as Sabine led Rex, Zeb, and the other rebels away. "Let's go find Maul and put an end to this."

Ezra felt a familiar presence prod at him. He recoiled at the feeling at first but then ignored his instinct upon recognizing it. It called to him like a beacon and its location was unmistakable, as was its owner.

"Do you feel that?" Ahsoka asked.

"Maul." Ezra growled. The fear and horror of the city before him turned into a burning rage, there was only one person responsible for this, and he was calling them both to him. Ezra unclipped his lightsaber and immediately began running towards the burning city.

He was so instantly focused on Maul that he didn't have the attention span to notice something else reaching out to him. A ray of light with swirls of grey and darkness that stuck out in the sea of darkness that Ezra's home had become. It called out to him searching for him, but Ezra didn't notice it.

* * *

Kanan stepped out of his ship, his senses revealing an almost entirely alien environment. Lothal wasn't even close to the planet it was when he had last been there. He could no longer smell the tall grass or hear it blowing in the wind. The air was hot, thick, and stagnant. The only familiar thing his senses gave him was something he hadn't truly witnessed since the Clone Wars. The sound and smell of war that emanated from the city almost made him glad he was blind. He had come to love the sights of the Lothal countryside and of Capital City. It was a small mercy that his last vision of it was still a beautiful one.

A light wind blew across Kanan's neck making the hair stand on edge. He turned his head so that he could hear better behind him just in time to hear footsteps in the dry sand like dirt. He pulled his lightsaber from his belt quickly and turned but didn't activate it upon realizing what it was. A few meters away was a four legged creature, he could see it in the force just like Bendu had taught him but this animal was different. It was much like Bendu in that the force didn't just pass through it like all other living things, it seemed to have control over the force.

The creature slowly padded towards Kanan who cautiously still held his saber at the ready. He could feel and hear that the animal was as tall as he was, it was bigger than anything he had ever seen on Lothal before.

 _Why would it be this close to the battle?_ Kanan wondered knowing that even the stubborn Loth-cats would flee such danger. The animal came so close to him that he could feel it's breath on his face, it didn't move or do anything else as if it was waiting for Kanan to do or say something.

Slowly, Kanan pulled one hand away from his saber and reached it out towards the animal. His bare hand made contact with soft fur. He quickly recognized the snout of the animal and brushed his hand upward to its forehead.

"A Loth-Wolf." Kanan nearly whispered, he would have been afraid if he wasn't so sure that the wolf didn't want to hurt him. What it wanted, he didn't know but he could tell that it didn't want blood or conflict, it was a peaceful creature. "I thought you were just a myth." He said gently.

The wolf brushed past Kanan and looked towards the city as if telling Kanan to look as well.

 _Okay._ Kanan said apprehensively. _Stranger things have happened._

He could feel the pain and death coming from the city and immediately picked out a familiar signatures among all of the soldiers and civilians. It was powerful and vibrant, a perfect reflection of the owner's perseverance and inner strength. It, like everything else, was different than the last time he had felt it though.

Ezra was no longer the same innocent boy he had left behind, he was scarred in more way than one and more hate than ever accompanied a familiar fear that the boy had held ever since Kanan met him. And the hate only grew with each second as Kanan recognized another presence, Maul.

The wolf growled so deeply that Kanan could have sworn he felt the bones in his body shake.

Ezra was heading straight toward the Sith Lord. Although he wasn't alone. Kanan knew Ahsoka was right by Ezra's side which comforted him slightly. It didn't stop him from trying to reach out to Ezra though. He desperately tried to connect to Ezra to speak with him but he didn't listen or perhaps even hear him.

After a minute, Kanan's impatience grew to be too much. Without a second of hesitation he began to sprint toward the burning city, towards haunting memories he didn't want to relive and visions he didn't want to experience. It didn't slow him down at all though, all he knew was that he had to get to Ezra, to help and protect him.

His gait was immediately cut off by the wolf who sprinted by then stopped in front of him trying to head him off in a different direction.

"What the-" Kanan groaned at the interruption and ran around the wolf. Within seconds the wolf was directly in front of him though, this time growling at him and once again trying to head him off towards a different sector of the city, away from Ezra.

"I don't have time for this!" Kanan yelled. "What do you want?!" The wolf stopped snarling and drew its face uncomfortably close to Kanan's.

"Dume." Kanan's spine shivered as he heard the wolf speak the singular word. It wasn't just a word though. It was a name, and one that Kanan had not heard in a very long time.

"How do you know my name?" Kanan asked. The only people who knew that his real name was Caleb Dume were Hera, Ezra, and Ahsoka.

 _I should be asking how the hell it's talking let alone knowing my name._ Kanan remarked shaking his head.

"Dume." The wolf snarled again, this time with a warning in the force. It warned him of danger, not of the one he was going toward, but of the danger that others were about to be in. Images and emotions slowly accompanied the feeling that made Kanan realize exactly what the wolf was trying to lead him toward.

"I understand." Kanan said nodding. "Take me to them."

Ezra and Ahsoka would be fine for the moment. Hera, Zeb, and Sabine needed his help more than anything else.

* * *

Sabine checked her map then closed it. They were almost through Cikera-Town and as Ezra had promised, it was empty.

"Kid was right." Zeb whispered as he knelt down next to Sabine with the rest of their team behind them while Rex and the others moved along the other side. She raised her hand up upon hearing something come from one of the buildings ahead of them. Everybody instantly stopped moving and listened.

The noise echoed through the street again, this time loud enough that Sabine was able to narrow down it's origin. It was a wailing noise like a wounded animal.

 _Is that a baby?_ Sabine furrowed her eyebrow and turned her head towards the noise as the wailing picked up again. It was coming from the building ahead of Rex's team.

"Team two. Move up." Sabine ordered over the comms pointing two fingers forward. Rex and his team moved forward on the other side of the street. "Second door on your left, Rex." She said.

" _Copy that._ " Rex said as his team stacked up outside the door then quickly entered. Silence followed making Sabine more anxious. After a few tense moments, Sabine's comms cackled with Rex's voice.

" _You're going to want to see this, Sabine._ " Rex said. Sabine quickly signed for her team to move across the street then ordered them to wait outside and watch out while she and Zeb went inside. The first floor was completely empty except for a few pieces of dusty broken furniture and most of Rex's team. One of Rex's team members stood at a door on the other side of the room.

"This way." He said nodding down the stairs. Sabine nodded and walked down the dark stairs. Upon reaching the bottom she finally realized why Rex wanted her to see this.

The basement was surprisingly large although so short that even Rex was ducking down a bit to accommodate his height. Aside from the space in front of the door, the entire basement was crowded with people. Among them was a wide eyed woman who looked like she hadn't slept in days holding a baby who was now quiet.

The people all huddled closer as if trying to get away from Sabine as she came into the room.

"Whoa." Sabine said lowering her rifle to the ground and holding up both hands.

 _They think I'm with Maul._

"I'm not with the other Mandalorians." Sabine said softly. "We're with the Rebellion. We're here to help."

The people seemed to calm down slightly at hearing Sabine speak. "How many of there are you?" She asked.

"About forty." The woman holding the baby said. "There were more but-" Her voice shook as she spoke.

"-but your people killed the rest as we tried to flee the city." A man interrupted as he stared angrily at Sabine.

"They're not my people." Sabine responded defensively. "And for what it's worth, I'm sorry." She sighed.

"Can you get us out of the city?" The woman with the baby asked.

"Yes, but not yet." Sabine said.

"You said you were here to help!" The same man said in protest. Sabine sighed as the baby began to cry again making the situation even more stressful and hard for her as the people began to talk and argue amongst themselves.

"We are!" Sabine finally snapped making everybody but the baby quiet down. "I want to help you more than anybody, but you need to be patient." She said truthfully. It broke her heart to leave innocent people behind like this but for now it was the only option she had. They couldn't spare the man-power to stay and protect them or guide them out of the city. Such a big group would be spotted far too quickly.

 _Luckily, we already have a diversion planned._ Sabine realized, the Depot and Factory were on the other side of the city and attacking them would adjust both the Empire's and Maul's attention there.

"We're going to create a diversion." Sabine told them carefully as she nodded towards Rex and Zeb. "Then we'll be back and we will get you out of here, just stay put for now."

"For how long?" The woman asked.

"Just a few hours." Sabine answered. "I'm sorry I can't do any more." She looked toward Rex and Zeb nodding for them to leave with her. "If we're not back in four hours. Split up into groups of five or so and head towards Tangletown outside of the city." She told them all. She turned away and walked up the stairs as quickly as she could, she couldn't bear how fearful they all were. The image reminded her of home, of how she imagined her people felt now that the Empire had power over them.

 _Power that I gave them._ Sabine said quietly. It made her wonder if that's why so many Mandalorians were still fighting for Maul, because it was their only choice aside from submitting to the Empire.

The thought of home brought back memories of her family and the last time she saw them, how her mother disowned her and declared her an outsider. Despite how cruel her mother had been, it didn't stop her from hoping that her family was okay and that they were safe on Krownest.

"There was nothing else we could do." Rex said snapping Sabine back to the present as she walked out of the building and re-grouped with her team.

"I know." Sabine sighed as she looked down the street towards the burning center of the city. "That doesn't make it any easier though." In truth, that wasn't entirely what was bothering her though. The reality was that as she looked at the war torn city and recalled the faces of each of those terrified innocent people, she realized that she wasn't just responsible for the destruction of her home, she was now responsible for the destruction of Ezra's home.

* * *

" _Charges placed."_ Rex said over the comms.

"Copy that." Sabine said. "Finishing up on our end now. See you at the rendezvous." She placed the last few charges on the large automated Anti-Air structure that was surprisingly only lightly defended. Her team had managed to handle the stormtroopers defending the guns without firing a single shot and Rex's team had similar luck.

"Is it just me or was this too easy?" Zeb said to Sabine as they ran back through a series of alleyways between warehouses and factories.

"Yeah." Sabine agreed as she pulled up her comms. "Hera, charges are all set on the AA guns. Just say when."

" _Copy that."_ Hera responded. " _We're five minutes out now. I'll give you the go ahead as soon as we get in range."_

Sabine and her team made it back the rendezvous point on top of a short warehouse that gave them a good view of the depot and factory as well as the surrounding AA weapons. Once in position, Sabine readied her detonator and waited for the go ahead.

* * *

Grand Admiral Thrawn waited patiently on the bridge of his ship. They were only a short two minute hyperspace jump from Lothal now. A few more pieces of his plan had to come together before they entered the system and made the presence of his fleet known though.

"Sir." An officer approached Thrawn on the bridge. "We have lost contact with our teams defending the Anti-Air guns defending the TIE defender factory."

 _As suspected._ Thrawn thought to himself. The tactics of Phoenix squadron had become quite predictable to him after carefully studying all of their encounters over the past few years.

"Very well," Thrawn said turning to his subordinate. "Issue the order to Avatar Squad and Havoc squadron." He ordered the officer who quickly turned away and went back to his station to do as he was told.

Thrawn turned back toward the viewport and patiently waited for a report on how his experimental projects would perform.

* * *

"Everybody make sure to stay low until we're right on target. We've got to stay off their radar unless we want unwelcome company." Hera said to her fellow pilots as she helmed the Ghost by herself while Chop manned the guns. Every pilot pinged her back with an affirmative as they lowered their altitude and flew across the barren lands.

She checked her radar and verified that the other pilots were in formation surrounding her. It was only the Ghost and a few other A-wings making her wish now more than ever that they had some bombers.

 _The Ghost will have to do._ Hera said as she double checked that the lower cargo bay hatch was working. She would have to time opening it just right so that the proton bombs inside would hit the fuel depot and then the TIE factory as well.

She had executed more difficult maneuvers before but that didn't mean it was a sure shot.

Her targets at the edge of the city came into sight as well as the AA guns surrounding them.

"Sabine, now." Hera said into her comms. On queue, every AA gun detonated into massive balls of fire that ranged in color from orange to purple and even green. A telltale sign of Sabine's homemade explosives.

Hera knew without a doubt that the Mandalorian was likely smiling ear to ear at the moment.

 _No TIE fighters?_ Hera furrowed her brow as she gained altitude nearing her target.

" _Hera, you've got company!"_ Sabine's voice yelled over the comms. Hera quickly checked her radar to see nothing but friendlies.

"There's nothing on my-" A loud explosion interrupted her and the Ghost lurched violently just as one of the friendly markers on the radar disappeared. Hera frantically checked her instruments reading that her shields were now only at fifty percent.

" _White two is down!"_ One of pilots yelled over the comms.

" _Enemy squadron starboard!"_

"Break off now!" Hera yelled as turret fire erupted across her viewport just missing the cockpit by a few meters. She pulled high and starboard pulling the Ghost into a barrel roll as their attackers came into view. The ships were unfortunately easily recognizable. She counted three TIE defenders and none of them showed up on her radar.

Hera fired the forward cannons at the one heading immediately towards her. The pilot didn't even divert course. The shots were absorbed into a blue illuminated sphere that surrounded the ship on impact.

The Defender fired back forcing Hera to divert course again only narrowly dodging the assault.

" _One behind us."_ Chopper alerted Hera over the comms.

Hera cursed as two more of the other A-wings disappeared on her radar. "Take them out Chop!" She yelled as she took another evasive maneuver too late. The shields failed alerting her with a high pitched beeping alarm.

" _They're too fast!"_ The last remaining pilot said. " _I've got two on my tail."_ Hera cut the engines allowing the TIE on her tail to fly past. Reactivating the engines she and Chopper both opened fire on the enemy fighter as it came back around. The first two shots were absorbed by the shield while the third finally broke through and hit one of the wings, blowing it off.

The Defender quickly spun out of control and barrelled down towards the ground below them as Hera pulled back around just in time to see the remaining A-wing get hit in the engines.

" _I'm hit!"_ The pilot yelled as the ship careened down towards the city. WIth no time to grieve or worry for the safety of the remaining pilot, Hera acted as quickly as she could and opened fire on the two Defenders.

Both of them turned on the Ghost opening fire in return, both absorbing the Ghost's fire with their shields and then arcing away from each other as Hera flew between the two. The Ghost was fast for a light freighter but compared to the fighters, Hera knew there was no way she could out maneuver them. At the very least she could try and still hit the fuel depot though.

She turned the ship toward the depot diving in altitude as she gained speed. One of the Defenders was heading in the same direction as it tried to turn back around on Hera. She fired the nose gun towards it but it easily managed to keep out of the line of fire due both to it's agility and small size. She continued to fire as the Defender finally stalled it's momentum and swung around to face the Ghost directly. It's small frame growing larger and larger as the Ghost barrelled toward it.

The Defender fired once going above the cockpit and hitting the top of the Ghost.

"Chop reroute auxiliary power to forward shields!" Hera yelled as she accelerated even more pushing the Ghost to its limits. The Defender remained on course, the pilot only realized what Hera was doing a second too late. Despite its agility, the Defender wasn't able to get out of the way of the wide frame of the Ghost in time.

The Ghost groaned and Hera clenched her jaw as the starboard side of the ship impacted with the Defender. The ship veered off course only slightly but luckily the system readings read there was only some damage to the hull although the shields were entirely depleted again.

"Okay." Hera sighed. "Now we just need to drop the proton bombs and deal with the last-"

The ship shook in protest as cannon fire hit the rear end. The console started blaring furiously with alarms as Hera lost control of the ship. She tried making sense of the readings on the instruments as the ship furiously shook and lost altitude.

"Damn it! We lost engines!" Hera yelled as she did her best to pull up out of the nose dive. It was enough to rule out imminent death but not enough to make her feel good about her chances as the ground grew closer and closer.

* * *

"Hera, you've got company!" Sabine yelled into the comms as the three black fighter ships sped out of the smog and towards Hera's squadron. They moved faster than any fighter Sabine had ever seen.

" _There's nothing on my-"_ Hera said but was interrupted by a torrent of green cannon fire from the ships. One of the shots hit an A-wing instantly igniting it in a fiery ball of destruction while two more shots hit the Ghost directly in the side.

"Sabine get down!" Sabine heard Zeb yell just as she felt the entirety of his weight be thrown into her shoulder knocking her down to the ground. A concussive blast hit both of them sending them tumbling off of the roof and down onto the street below.

The air was knocked out of Sabine's lungs as she fell back first on the hard concrete. She wasn't sure she would have been able to get back up if not for the adrenaline already working its way through her veins. She crawled onto her knees and raised her rifle just in time to fire at two strangely armored Imperials on the roof across from the one she and Zeb had previously been on. She rapidly fired at the two targets as the rooftops and street around them erupted into fire. The two soldiers ducked behind cover before Zeb and Sabine could get any hits in.

It gave the two of them the chance to at least recover and find some cover though. Taking their small window of opportunity, the two both fell back to an alleyway and crouched behind a dumpster.

"Team One, regroup on me." Sabine ordered over the comms. "Rex, where are you?" She asked.

" _Still on the roof, blast missed my team. Looks like-"_ Rex was interrupted by the sound of his blaster firing and then the familiar noise of a grenade being activated. " _-they have us surrounded."_ A few members of Sabine's team filed into the alleyway while Sabine and Zeb provided cover. It was only two Wookiees and then a human operative named Alec. Nobody else responded or even pinged Sabine on the comms.

"Well that's just great." Sabine groaned. Even in all this chaos, the Empire still focused more on laying a trap for them than protecting the people of Lothal.

"Rex get ready to focus fire east, we're going to punch a hole in their lines. Once we're through we'll provide cover fire for your team to follow." Sabine ordered on the comms then aimed down the alleyway.

She nodded towards Zeb and the others to follow her down the alleyway to the east. She slowed her pace as they neared the street at the end of the alleway and raised her hand up to signal for her team to slow down.

She shouldered and raised her rifle, preparing for anything as she slid towards the edge of the alleyway with her back to one of the buildings.

Another one of the heavily armored troopers stepped out from around the corner. Sabine raised her rifle to fire but he moved quicker than anything she had ever seen, his hand knocked the barrel of the rifle aside making her fire into the wall across from her.

Sabine dropped the rifle and tried to sidestep a punch he threw at her chest but he was too quick. The fist hit her directly in the center of her chest plate so hard that it actually cracked. The force of the punch knocked her off of her feet and onto her back with a heavy thud.

Her vision went blurry as she gasped for air and rolled onto her side just in time to dodge the soldier stomping his foot down where her neck was only moments before. She grabbed the pistol from her right holster and held it up firing at the soldier's chest. The shots hit the thick chest armor which appeared to absorb most of the impact but it didn't even stagger him. Neither did the other nearly dozen shots from Zeb and the others. They hit his arms and legs but he barely even reacted.

Finally a shot from Zeb hit him in the knee just under the armor and he buckled. The man fell to one knee in front of Sabine and reached one of his now battered arms toward her.

Sabine tried to pull herself away from the seemingly indestructible soldier grabbed her by the neck pulling her torso up off of the ground. She tried prying his fingers off of her neck as she choked but they didn't even remotely budge.

Her vision began to fade almost instantly from the pain and lack of oxygen. Acting instinctively she made one last ditch effort and unsheathed her combat knife. She flipped the knife in her hand into a reverse grip and stabbed downward on the forearm in between two pieces of armor. The mesh underlayer was pierced by the blade with ease but it stopped there. The knife only went possibly a few centimeters after that and Sabine could have sworn that it felt like she hit metal.

 _What the hell._ Sabine pulled the blade out of the arm then slashed at the man's neck. This time it hit flesh. The sharp blade cut through the underlayer of the armor and then the soldier's jugular. Blood instantly began to flow out and over his pure white armor as his free hand clutched at his neck. The other hand on Sabine's throat slowly loosened until he fell onto his back and went into shock.

Sabine coughed and dropped the knife as she fell onto her back as well, her helmet bounced off of the hard concrete but she didn't care. All she cared about was trying to breathe. She took a deep painful breath then coughed it all out.

"Sabine!" She heard Zeb yell as he came and knelt over her.

"Just need a breather." Sabine managed to wheeze out in between her deep inhalations and coughing fits. Zeb looked away from her and into the street they were heading towards, his eyes widening in fear as he stood up and aimed his rifle.

"Better make it a quick one!" He said. Sabine lifted her head to see three more Troopers wearing the same familiar armor all standing at the edge of the alleway, their weapons weren't even raised. Whatever these new soldiers were, they were nearly invincible and they knew it.

Before any of her team managed to open fire, the soldiers were all simultaneously thrown back into the street as if by nothing.

 _Ezra and Ahsoka?_ Sabine slowly got onto her knees and stood back up as the soldiers clamored back onto their feet and immediately began firing their weapons down the street. It was as if they had completely forgotten about Sabine and the others.

Sabine cautiously stepped to the edge of the building to peak her head around. Her jaw dropped upon seeing who now had the attention of the three other soldiers.

"Kanan." She practically whispered. The Jedi Knight sprinted toward the troopers at full tilt all the while ducking or sidestepping everything they fired at him. The blue light extended from his saber smoothly as he activated it then deflected two shots back at one of the senders weapons, knocking it out of their hands.

With indescribable finesse, Kanan jumped and spun over the first soldier then plunged his saber behind him into the man's back. The saber pierced through the back and out of the chest as the man screamed in agony and collapsed to his knees. Without hesitation, Kanan pulled the saber back out of the first soldier then attacked the remaining two in such a rapid flurry of blows that the lightsaber became an indecipherable blur of color and energy.

After only a brief moment, both soldiers collapsed to the ground, their weapons destroyed and their armor scored with cuts and stabs. Kanan lowered his lightsaber and deactivated it as he turned his head to face Sabine and the others. Despite the coordination and awareness that he had just demonstrated, his eyes were still a cloudy gray telling Sabine he was still just as blind as when he left months ago. His chin was now covered with a beard as well and he no longer wore the shoulder guard that she had painted for him.

"Kanan…" Sabine said. She was entirely speechless. She didn't know whether to hit him or hug him. He had just abandoned them when they needed him most.

"How did you find us?" Zeb asked before Sabine could find the words she was looking for.

"It's kind of a long story." Kanan said sheepishly. "But Hera is in trouble, and so are Ezra and Ahsoka." Sabine nodded in agreement, now wasn't the time to deal with her problems. She checked all of her weapons and took another deep breath.

"Let's get going then."

* * *

Ezra and Ahsoka slowly walked through the narrow streets of the historic district of Capital City. His heart beat heavily in his chest and echoed in his ears as they came closer and closer to Maul. They hadn't encountered any Imperials or any of Maul's people which only made both of them more nervous.

They were undoubtedly walking into a trap, but there was nothing they could do other than walk directly into it and hope for the best.

The two made it to a junction and Ezra stopped as he felt Maul again. It was coming from down the street, Ezra recognized the building as an old amphitheatre. His parents always told him that there used to be musical concerts there every night before the Empire but it had since remained vacant. Now though, Ezra was sure Maul was using it.

He looked at Ahsoka and nodded toward the direction of the structure. She quickly nodded to indicate she understood and prepared her lightsabers. She crouched down and walked along the shadows of the building with Ezra just behind her.

As they came up to the upper edge of the ampitheatre a voice echoed up making Ezra's heart stop in his chest.

"I've been waiting for you." Maul's voice echoed.

Ezra and Ahsoka both stood up looking down to the stage at the bottom. On it stood Maul and a dozen Mandalorians. In front of the stage below them knelt at least twenty civilians all huddled together in fear as the soldiers aimed their weapons at them.

"Let them go, Maul." Ezra growled. His spine shivered as Maul revealed his sharp teeth in a malicious smile.

"I don't think so." He said. "Not until I have what I want."

Ezra and Ahsoka exchanged a glance of agreement. The civilians would be executed, the two of them would be killed, and Maul would continue to lay waste to the entire city just to spite them if they didn't comply.

So they did the only thing they could do. Ahsoka pulled the holocron out from a small pouch on her belt and handed it to Ezra who gently took it in his hand as they walked down the steps, side by side, towards Maul. With each step, Ezra felt Maul's hunger for the power within grow more and more, it was just the same as Ezra's hatred for the Zabrak. But Ezra pushed that hate aside and focused as much as he could on the fearful people being held at gunpoint as he walked among them and straight to Maul.

Maul raised his open hand out to Ezra as soon as he was in range. Ezra still held the holocron tightly at his side, his mind thinking of all the horrifying things Maul could do with it.

"Give it to me, boy!" Maul snarled, the fury and lust for power in his eyes made him look almost feral.

Slowly, Ezra raised the holocron up to Maul's hand and at last, the Sith's fingers grasped the device of knowledge and power.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for being late again. Next Wednesday the final two chapters of this arc will be posted at the same time. Thank you for reading and being patient! As always please review! If you have any reviews that are more question oriented then please PM me, I always do my best to answer all questions!**


	18. The Empire Strikes Back

**I'm back! Sorry for the delay. I've had some serious writers block after the finale of Rebels which was so utterly amazing that it made me feel inadequate. I will be back on schedule and doing my best to uphold it in the future. Just a quick note regarding the finale of the TV show. Any reviews that spoil the ending will be removed as I don't want to potentially ruin it for people who haven't seen it yet. Now regarding the ending, if you liked it, awesome! My story will not simply end that exact same way though because that would be boring. If you hated it then maybe you will like my ending which is still very very far in the future as we are only just over halfway through my alternative version of Season 3!**

 **Anyways, thank you for being patient and I would like to give a warm welcome to the new readers! Enjoy!**

* * *

Hera gasped in shock as she came to. Her head ached and her entire body felt like it had been smashed with a sledgehammer. She opened her eyes slowly, wincing at the bright flashing lights and alert lights on the dashboard in front of her.

She quickly sprung into action upon remembering what had happened. The ambush, the TIE Defenders, and the crash. Hera unstrapped herself from the pilot's seat and began checking the instruments methodically as she activated the comms.

"Chop, you still with me?" She asked. The droid quickly responded with a string of expletives that even she didn't dare repeat.

"I'll take that as a yes." Hera responded with a thin smirk. "Looks like the engines and hyperdrive are down. Stay on the guns and keep an eye out for that last Defender. I have a feeling it's going to come try and finish the job."

" _Negative, Scomp link is broken."_ Chopper responded.

"Damn it." Hera cursed under her breath. Without the scomp link, the droid wouldn't be able to interface with the ship guns.

" _Hera, do you copy?!"_ Hera jumped at hearing Sabine's voice over the comms. She sounded like she was entirely out of breath or was sick.

"Sabine!" Hera said into the comms. "Are you alright?"

" _Fine!"_ Sabine panted. " _But you need to get out of the Ghost now! That TIE Defender is coming around to finish the job!"_

 _Not a chance._ Hera spun on her heel and ran out of the cockpit towards the dorsal turrets. "Chop, make some room! I'm coming up!" She yelled as she scaled the ladder as quickly as possible.

" _Hera, just get out of there!"_ Sabine yelled into the comms again.

"If we lose the Ghost, we'll be stranded on Lothal!" Hera responded. She brushed past Chopper and put herself into the gunner's seat and tested the turret controls. Everything was working thankfully.

" _Fine, we're on our way to help then!"_ Sabine responded.

Ignoring the instruments knowing they wouldn't be able to find the enemy ship, Hera relied purely on her own senses. She listened for the telltale screaming noise of the TIE as she scanned the ominous skies above her.

The haunting howl came to Hera's ears just in time for her to turn the gun in its direction. The fighter efficiently broke through the foreboding clouds and smog. Its jet black silhouette against the ominous red glow of the city below it was the only visual indicator of its location as its three wings aimed at the Ghost in preparation to open fire.

Hera clenched her jaw, aimed, and squeezed the trigger on the gun repeatedly. The turrets kicked in a steady rhythm of fire while the Defender released its own torrent of fire power.

Hera hit the Defender twice, its shields illuminating with each impact but still holding strong. She kept firing as the TIE's blaster fire landed first before the Ghost sending up a cloud of dust while the second salvo peppered the top of the ship missing the gunners nest by only a few meters. The ship groaned and shook in protest as pieces of the hull broke free from the ship in a fiery explosion and the Defender soared overhead.

Chopper protested, phonetically pronouncing Hera's name to try and get her attention. To try and abandon ship. Hera wouldn't though. She couldn't. The Ghost was her home, and she wasn't going to give it up to the Imperials.

"Quiet down, Chop! Go put out any fires that may have caused!" Hera yelled as she swung the turret back around to try and track the Defender. It had once again disappeared into the clouds.

" _Hera!"_ Sabine yelled over the comms.

"I'm fine!" Hera responded. "It's shields are almost gone, I'll get it when it comes around again."

The howling quieted then became louder again telling her that the TIE was coming at her again. She furrowed her brow and narrowed her eyes, carefully scanning the sky before her for her target and flexing her trigger fingers knowing fully that she couldn't afford to miss, it was do or die.

The clouds broke revealing the Defender. Hera quickly adjusted her aim and fired. The first shot went too high due to the TIE being too far out. As it came closer her second shot hit and the shields crackled and failed. Smirking confidently, Hera fired again. The blaster bolts erupted from the cannons and sailed toward their target but only hit one of the wings. The ship began spinning violently but remained on course.

 _No._ Hera's eyes widened in fear as she saw the cannons on the Defender fire. The blaster bolts flew directly towards Hera in the turret nest.

 _At least it will be quick._ Hera resigned knowing there would be no escape and closed her eyes. She imagined Kanan standing next to her, his hand on her shoulder guiding her and being there for her as he always had been. It was one of the few things that made her feel truly at peace. She only regretted not being able to say goodbye to him.

A loud heavy thud echoed throughout the turret nest. It sounded like a pair of boots landing on the glass. She opened her eyes to see the last thing she had expected. It was a dark silhouette of a man facing away from her, but she had seen it enough to recognize who it was instantly.

"Kanan." She barely managed to whisper, she couldn't believe it was him. She watched in awe as Kanan extended an open palm towards the blaster bolts coming directly at them. In response, Hera saw the blaster bolts slow only slightly then as Kanan waved his hand to the side they followed the new trajectory and impacted with the ground next to the ship.

The damaged TIE defender soared by directly overhead and promptly crashed into the hills behind them.

Hera let out a deep breath she didn't know she was holding. The swift roller coaster of emotion overwhelmed her as fear and resignation turned into joy and relief as Kanan turned around and faced her. His eyes were still completely cloudy with blindness but it was as if he could still see right into her. He could always see her. It was part of what she loved about him.

Without a word Kanan stepped off of the gun turret and walked to the back of the ship where he jumped off. Hera quickly moved as well, she hopped out of the seat and slid down the ladder, her heart beating as fast as it possibly could without bursting. She made her way down to the cargo bay and hit the button to open it up revealing Kanan standing outside. His arms hanging limply at his sides as he waited for her.

Not wanting to waste a moment, Hera did what she had been wanting to do and thinking about everyday since he had left. She ran directly toward him and crashed into him wrapping her arms around him as tightly as she could and burying her face in his chest. Despite the ridiculous heat, she welcomed the warmth of his hands on her back even as she heard Sabine and the others round the corner. The two had always made a point to keep even simple affection such as hugs private from the others but Hera didn't care anymore.

"You came back." Hera whispered gently.

"I'll always come back." Kanan responded. His voice sounded exactly the way she remembered and just as truthful as always.

After a few moments that felt all too brief, Zeb cleared his throat to interrupt Hera's reunification with Kanan.

Hera sighed and reluctantly removed her hands from Kanan's back. She stepped back and took the sight of her companion in one more time. His cheeks were more gaunt, his hair longer, and he had a full beard now.

"We have to go." Kanan said. "Ezra needs our help."

* * *

Ezra's fingers tingled with electricity as the Holocron was pulled from his hands. He could feel Maul's hunger for the enigmatic device grow even stronger now that it was in his hands.

"Now let these people go." Ezra said. "You have what you want, now leave."

Maul stepped down from the stage in front of Ezra so that they were at eye level. "I don't have everything I need just yet." He said as he circled Ezra who grew ever more tense. He could feel Ahsoka losing patience as well, he could even see her slowly inching her thumbs toward the buttons to activate her sabers.

"What do you know about Holocrons?" Maul asked. Ezra bristled in annoyance at the question, a shiver went down his spine as Maul disappeared from sight behind him then came around the other side, his eyes never leaving the holocron in his hand.

"They hold knowledge." Ezra answered plainly.

Maul laughed lightly. "True, but they also hold so much more." He said as he stepped back up onto the stage walked a few feet then turned and sat down cross legged.

"At least some do." Maul added as he held the holocron up at eye level and inspected it admiringly. "Holocrons are more than just receptacles of knowledge, they are each a piece of their unique creator. An amalgamation of their personalities, their knowledge and, more importantly, their powers." Maul paused and looked at Ezra expectantly.

"Come here, boy." He beckoned Ezra towards him. Ezra apprehensively remained still at first but Maul's insistence remained unmoved, a flick of violence and anger illuminated his eyes warning Ezra that he should comply.

Ezra stepped forward finally, he didn't want anybody else to get hurt because of him. He slowly walked toward Maul and sat down in front of him on his knees, his hands on his thighs.

"This holocron." Maul nodded at it as he spoke. "Was created by a very specific Sith Lord, Darth Traya. A very powerful woman, who had the gift of foresight. She created this Holocron to hold knowledge and power like all of the other ones but it holds more power than that under the right circumstances."

"I'm assuming you're going to tell us what it does." Ezra said shuffling in annoyance.

"It grants clarity, it allows the users to know any secret or destiny that they wish to see." Maul explained.

"Users?" Ahsoka asked from behind Ezra.

"Yes, Lady Tano." Maul answered with a grin. "A master and an apprentice must open it to access that part of the holocron."

"No." Ahsoka said, her voice lowering in dread as Ezra too realized what Maul wanted.

"Yes." Maul said.

"Why not just use one of your apprentices?" Ezra asked. "Why me?"

"Because they're too weak to open it." Maul scowled in disgust. "But you, Ezra Bridger, are not."

 _The ability to have any destiny or wisdom known._ Ezra thought to himself as he tried to comprehend the scale of what Maul was telling him. It could give Ezra the answers he needed, the answer that he, Kanan, and Ahsoka had been looking for. He could find out the way to destroy the Sith like Yoda had said when the old Jedi had guided them to Malachor in the first place.

 _Maybe this was what Master Yoda meant for us to do on Malachor. To open the Holocron._

"You can't possibly believe we would help you." Ahsoka said.

"I'll do it." Ezra said after a brief moment.

"Ezra!" Ahsoka protested.

"We don't have a choice anyways, Ahsoka." Ezra said looking at her painfully then looking at the hostages that Maul's soldiers still held at gunpoint. He didn't have the heart to tell her that part of him wanted to open it though. The power was too enticing to pass up, he had the opportunity to end it all sitting right in front of him.

 _What kind of person would I be, If I let all of these people die just because of my pride?_

"Let's get it over with." Ezra finally said. He would do what his parents, Hera, Kanan, and Ahsoka had all taught him to do. He would sacrifice what he could to protect those in danger.

Maul placed the Holocron between himself and Ezra. "Now focus." Maul said. "Focus on what you want to see, what you want to know."

"Okay." Ezra watched as Maul closed his eyes then closed his own. He felt Ahsoka reach out to him and try to warn him of the danger but he pushed her away. He couldn't deal with distractions and his mind was made. He did the same thing he did when the holocron first opened itself to him. He thought of the hate, the anger, and all of the pain he had experienced all the while trying to focus on what he wanted the answer too.

The key to destroying the Sith.

After a few moments, he felt the same terrible feeling he had before. It was opening, this time it was different though. A bright light shined through his eyelids making the black fade away as a vision came to him.

* * *

"Sir, we have received word from Avatar Squad." Captain Pellaeon informed Thrawn. "Havoc squadron was destroyed and Avatar Squad suffered heavy casualties, they said that a Jedi ambushed them."

"A lone Jedi?" Thrawn asked.

"Yes, sir. They said he had a blue lightsaber." Pellaeon answered. Thrawn quickly calculated the new circumstances in his mind before speaking, something that he wished more of his subordinates would do.

"Kanan Jarrus has returned to the fold." He finally said. It was the only logical explanation, it also meant that all three known Jedi in the Rebellion were on Lothal making Thrawn calculate the chances of the rest of the rebellion showing up to support them as even higher than before.

"What of the fuel depot and TIE factory?" Thrawn asked of the aging captain. He was one of the few officers that Thrawn actually trusted. Pellaeon was loyal, pragmatic, and knew his place. The latter of which being one of the most valuable traits to Thrawn.

"Still intact, sir. The rebels didn't even make a dent. Avatar squad managed to push back the ground force but it appears that the last Defender was taken down by VCX-100 freighter."

"Of course it was." Thrawn smirked in such a way that would have made those who didn't know him question his loyalty. He didn't enjoy having the Defenders lose in their first dogfight but he also respected skill, and he knew that Hera Syndulla was one of the most skilled pilots in the galaxy, possibly the best.

Now he knew the Defenders or the Commandos of Avatar squad were not yet ready for full combat. They had to be perfect first.

An officer called to Thrawn and Pellaeon from her station on the bridge, informing them that an Imperial ship was coming out of hyperspace.

Thrawn and Pellaeon both looked out the viewport just in time to see one of the largest ships in the Imperial fleet exit hyperspace directly in front of them. They both instantly recognized the ship as anybody in the galaxy would.

 _The Executor._

The presence of Lord Vader's flagship meant only one thing that not even the most arrogant Imperial refused to acknowledge. Death was coming.

"Sir, transmission from Lord Vader." The same officer who informed Thrawn of the ship's arrival said.

"Make sure the rest of the fleet is prepared for the blockade." Thrawn ordered Pellaeon who quickly turned on his heel and left to carry out his orders.

"Patch him through." Thrawn ordered. He would have preferred to talk to Vader privately in his quarters. But even he as a Grand Admiral knew better than to make Lord Vader wait.

A life-size hologram of the Sith Lord appeared before Thrawn. Even in the blue colors and shapes that created his holographic form, the darkness of his presence was unmistakable.

"Lord Vader, I was not informed of your plans to come to Lothal." Thrawn said bowing his head ever so slightly as he stood at attention.

"That was the point." Vader said, his deep voice so powerful that it could probably be heard across the entire bridge. The Lord took a deep breath before speaking again. "I was sent to evaluate your lack of action given the events occurring on Lothal, and to...amend the situation."

"I have done what I see fit to draw out the Rebel forces so that we may destroy them all in one singular battle." Thrawn responded quickly. He didn't appreciate being insulted by Vader who had yet to demonstrate any tactical viability as anything other than a barbaric killer.

"You have done nothing but wait and run tests for your pet projects." Vader responded. He took another deep breath as Thrawn's eyes narrowed with rage.

 _How dare he accuse me of inaction._ Thrawn carefully bit his tongue before saying anything he would regret.

"Projects which have failed and have cost the Empire dearly in both resources and time." Vader said.

"They are both almost complete and have not cost nearly as much as project Stardust or Enlightenment." Thrawn said. "Once complete-"

"-They will not be completed." Vader interrupted Thrawn. "Nor will your foolish plan."

"My lord, we cannot abandon this course of-" Thrawn was once again cut off but this time by the feeling of his throat being squeezed. He choked on his words as his windpipes were forced shut.

"Your plan is no more. I am in charge of this operation now and you will do as you are told."

He felt his eyes go wide in shock as he felt the lifeforce being choked out of him but refused to clutch at his throat, it only took him a short moment to realize it was Vader that was the cause and he didn't dare give the man the satisfaction of watching him grovel.

"Yes…" Thrawn managed to choke out. "My lord." He felt the constriction on his throat subside and he did his best not to try and take deep breaths or seem fazed.

"You would be wise to remember your position and who it was that gave it to you." Vader said.

"What will you have me do, my lord?" Thrawn asked slightly wheezing.

"I will handle the Jedi personally." Vader said. "You will execute Winter Contingency on my command."

Vader ended the transmission without farewell, leaving Thrawn by himself at the end of the bridge again. He took a deep breath and let it out to regain his composure, to stifle the boiling rage in his chest. Everything he had planned had just been destroyed.

After a brief moment he pushed it all to the back of his mind. It was no more and there was no use dwelling on it, it simply wasn't productive. He turned on his heel and walked off of the bridge to prepare for Winter Contingency, only another example of how barbaric and blunt Lord Vader was with his power.

* * *

Kanan led Sabine and the others through the city as quickly as possible. Hera and Chop had stayed behind to make repairs on the Ghost while the rest rushed to Ezra. It had been non-stop running through the city all the while trying to avoid contact with Imperials and her own people. Sabine's blood pumped like nothing else as her boots pounded on the ground with each step. She didn't know what was happening but if Kanan knew Ezra was in danger then that was all she needed to know to push herself to her limits.

Kanan stopped in his tracks making Sabine nearly crash into him, somehow the Jedi was barely even winded.

"What's wrong?" Zeb said through strained breaths as well. "Why'd we stop?"

"They opened the Holocron." Kanan said as he shifted his head taking in his surroundings with his non visual senses. "We need to hurry." He quickly shifted back into a full sprint. "Double time! No stopping for anything!"

Zeb and Rex both groaned in protest as they caught up to Kanan, Sabine didn't complain though. The sense of urgency that Kanan had only propelled her further, adrenaline pumped through her veins fueling her gait as she recalled what Ahsoka had told her about Ezra's future. It would be up to Sabine to protect him, to keep him safe.

She refused to let anything bad happen to Ezra and given the circumstances of what happened with Sera, protecting Ezra was the only way she knew how to show him that she cared about him more than anybody else in the galaxy.

* * *

Ahsoka was more on edge than she had ever been. A nearly blinding light shined from the Holocron making her shield her eyes and look away. Her current situation could not have been any worse. That Holocron was showing Ezra and Maul only the force new what, there were ten Mandalorians surrounding her, half of them with their weapons trained on her while the others were aimed at a dozen helpless civilians.

If Maul didn't keep his promise to leave peacefully then their chances of survival were slim to none. That didn't stop Ahsoka from trying to develop an exit strategy though. She had to keep Ezra safe, she promised Kanan that she would and so she carefully eyed her surroundings. If she moved quickly enough she would be able to distract the soldiers and take their attention away from the civilians. Long enough for some of them to get away, but definitely not all.

Ahsoka bowed her head shamefully as she remembered one of the first lessons she had learned about war. Casualties were inevitable. The only thing she could do was try and help as many people as she could, which meant she would have to accept that not everybody was going to make it out of this alive.

She carefully prepared for her next move, shifting her weight on her feet so that she could move as quickly as possible and then began to mentally plan out her attack. Hitting the soldiers on the left with a push would be enough to get some of them off their feet or at least disorient them giving her the chance to rush the smaller amount on her right. Then she could put herself between the remaining Mandalorians and the civilians allowing them to escape.

Her meticulous planning was interrupted by a noise. The Holocron began to glow brighter, its light so powerful that even the Mandalorians' visors couldn't filter it all out. All she could see of Ezra now was his silhouette. It also began to hum and vibrate, the noise turning into high pitched whining as the vibrations grew more and more powerful to the point where it felt like an earthquake. Ahsoka felt a warning in the force as the familiar foreboding feeling that came with the Holocron began to grow with the light, noise, and vibration.

Ahsoka's eyes widened in worry as she stepped towards Ezra to try and pull him away. She was instantly stopped by two Mandalorians stepping in front of her weapons raised.

"Don't move." She heard one of them nearly yell over the high pitched wailing.

"We have to stop this!" Ahsoka yelled in protest.

"I said don't move." The soldier replied.

The light from the Holocron faded only briefly warning Ahsoka of incoming danger. The soldiers before her did not notice giving her a certain advantage. Ahsoka turned away and ducked her head just as the noise and tremors reached their peak. She closed her eyes just in time as a detonation rang out and a massive force wave hit her in the back. She rolled with the concussive blast and crashed onto her knees as one of the soldiers flew over her and landed on the ground behind her. The light and tremors had subsided revealing Ezra and Maul both laying on their backs.

Ahsoka sprinted to Ezra as quickly as she could. All of the soldiers had been knocked down or out in the blast giving her the freedom to move. She knelt down beside Ezra and put one hand on her chest and the other on the side of his head. His eyes were closed and his body was cold but she could feel his chest rising and falling giving her relief in knowing that he was alive. There was no telling what that Holocron had done to him though.

For now though all that mattered was getting him out of there. Away from Maul.

"Ezra." Ahsoka shook him trying to wake him up. His head lolled to the side as his eyelids began to flutter and finally he opened his eyes slowly.

"What happened?" Ezra groaned. Ahsoka opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by the voice of Maul.

"It worked." Maul said. Ahsoka grabbed one of her lightsabers and turned to face Maul. The Zabrak paid the threat no mind as he pulled himself back onto his feet and looked at Ezra. "The force is strong with you, Ezra Bridger." He said with a menacing smile.

Maul pointed to the Holocron on the ground between them. It had broken away into four pieces, one of each of the sides and the Kyber crystal that powered it sat lifeless among them. "It is a shame that it was broken in the process."

Ahsoka stood up and put herself between Maul and Ezra as the younger man pulled himself to his feet.

"I must say, you did well in your training of my apprentice. I thank you, Lady Tano." Maul goaded them.

"He's not your apprentice!" Ahsoka spat back.

"We had a deal, Maul." Ezra said as he stood next to Ahsoka rubbing his head as if from pain.

"Yes, we did." Maul answered. "Although I fear I will not be able to uphold my end of the bargain."

"What?" Ahsoka pulled her other lightsaber into her hand and prepared to activate them. Ezra did the same and both of them shifted so they were back to back. They were surrounded, but at least Ahsoka wouldn't be doing it alone. The Mandalorians all raised their weapons as Maul activated his double sided lightsaber. All weapons were trained on Ahsoka and Ezra.

A shadow moving behind one of the Mandalorians at the street level of the amphitheater above them caught Ahsoka's eye. It was too big to be a Mandalorian or a stormtrooper and she also swore that she saw a pair of yellow-green eyes with it.

 _Zeb._ Ahsoka hid any indication of her noticing the presence of her comrade. If Zeb was there then so was Sabine, Rex, and hopefully the rest of the rebels.

"I learned many things from what the Holocron showed me." Maul explained. "One of the most important ones was that you," He pointed his saber at Ezra as he began to pace, his face contorting into the perfect representation of rage. "Must die if my plan is to succeed."

Ahsoka and Ezra both activated their sabers and before Maul had the chance to attack. The entire stage became a warzone. Blaster fire erupted from every possible angle around them dispatching a majority of the Mandalorians and distracting the others.

Maul lunged toward Ezra and Ahsoka who quickly sidestepped the attack. Ahsoka retaliated towards Maul allowing Ezra to deflect a shot from a Mandalorian while she distracted the Sith. She put a stop to his momentum by rolling around his first attack and attacking with a non-stop flurry of blows and parries at his counters.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sabine and Zeb both sprint down the steps towards the hostages.

"Ezra, cover the hostages!" Ahsoka yelled. Ezra quickly dodged a wayward blaster bolt nodded to her then rolled toward the hostages putting himself between the Mandalorians and them. Sabine and Zeb began corralling them up the stairs and towards the safety of Rex and the rest of the Rebels.

Ahsoka ducked under a jab from Maul then rolled behind him and slashed at the back of his knee. He jumped just in time to avoid it. His feet landed firmly on the ground just in time to parry another one of Ahsoka's blows. He turned on his heel spinning his saber high with one hand then elbowed her in the stomach.

Ahsoka keeled over and stumbled back but kept her guard up. She crossed her sabers to deflect the first of Maul's string of attacks then separated them to try and throw off his momentum. The benefit of having two lightsabers was that she could defend and attack at the same time.

Maul snarled at her and extended an open hand, she rolled away just in time to dodge the shockwave that emanated from the palm of his hand. Instead of attacking again though, he simply readjusted his hand and clenched it into a fist.

Ahsoka was instantly lifted off of the ground as if somebody was grabbing her by the throat. She kicked her feet to try and regain her footing but was too high. Maul took a step forward, his one hand still clenched as he raised his saber to cut at her midsection.

Acting on instinct, Ahsoka brought her left lightsaber across her chest and flung it towards him with as much might as she could muster.

Maul screamed in pain as the tip of the saber cut through his shoulder only inches away from his neck. Ahsoka fell back to the ground and prepared to attack. Before she could regain her balance, she felt a heavy metal foot hit her chest. The wind was knocked out of her as the sheer force of Maul's cybernetic leg threw her onto her back.

Ahsoka rolled with the landing and flipped back onto her knees expecting another attack. But Maul was otherwise engaged in a duel with somebody else. His red lightsaber was firmly locked with a blue one. Maul was as surprised as Ahsoka was, only not as happy, in fact she even saw a bit of fear in his eyes as he looked into the grey emptiness of Kanan's.

"You!" Maul yelled at Kanan who easily pushed Maul away from the saber lock. The Sith lord's feet slid on the ground before he came to a halt.

"Hold them off!" Maul yelled at his remaining two soldiers. Both redirected their fire from Ezra to Kanan and Ahsoka. Ahsoka raised her sabers and jumped off the stage at an angle towards the first soldier. His shots missed entirely as she then jumped towards him with a flip then landed behind him. Without looking she swung her saber behind her at neck level. The saber met a small amount of resistance then nothing as the body fell to the ground. She watched Kanan deal with the last soldier by simply deflecting the fire back at the soldier's unarmed neck.

The blaster fire subsided leaving the amphitheater in relative silence. Ahsoka quickly looked around for other enemies but found none. Maul had managed to slip away in the commotion to nobodies surprise. Using his own people as cannon fodder was nothing that anybody thought Maul was above.

"Kanan…" Ahsoka heard Ezra say. She deactivated her saber then looked between the former Master and Padawan. Sabine and Zeb joined them on the stage as well, none of them looking as shocked as Ezra did. Ahsoka assumed they had already met up with him earlier due to their calm demeanor, he was probably the one who led them here after all.

Ezra walked toward Kanan slowly, as if unsure that what he was seeing was real. His eyes glistened with tears and his lips seemed to be unsure whether to smile or scowl.

"You probably have a lot of questions." Kanan said. His voice was calm and wise. Something she had always liked about the Jedi Knight, she was glad that part of him didn't change since they last met.

"That's one way to put it." Ezra scoffed.

"I'll explain everything but now isn't the time." Kanan explained. He turned his head to look at Ahsoka, even though he couldn't see. Ahsoka could feel him watching her, making eye contact with her. "It's happening." He said sympathetically.

 _He can see me in the force._ Ahsoka realized silently. She nodded in response and he did as well.

"What do you mean? What's happening?" Ezra asked impatiently, Ahsoka could see him grow impatient.

Kanan held a hand up indicating that everybody stop talking. "Listen." He said.

Everybody quieted down and did as they were told.

"I don't hear anything." Ezra said sighing in frustration.

"Troop Transports." Kanan said. Ahsoka finally heard the telltale sign of the Imperial ships. "The Empire is retaliating."

"It's coming from the West." Ahsoka pointed in the right direction. She, Ezra, and Kanan quickly ran up the amphitheater stairs past Rex and the others and jumped onto the nearest building. Once on top of the roof they had a better view of the city, or what was left of it.

Ahsoka's chest tightened and a knot formed in her stomach at the sight to the west. She counted well over fifty Sentinel-class landing craft coming down to drop troops to the west. Each one could carry seventy five stormtroopers. Additionally there were smaller cruisers dropping off heavy armaments, ground transports, and AT-ST's all of which were accompanied by a swarm of TIE fighters that had already begun to engage with Mandalorian ground and air forces. Above all of that was the most imposing sight of all though.

"Who's ship is that?" Ezra asked.

The largest ship in the Imperial fleet. It shined massive rows of spotlights from it's underbelly onto the ground making it's silhouette stick out through the smog and clouds like a terrifying monster.

There was no mistaking the monstrosity of the ship but it wasn't the ship that worried Ahsoka. It was its owner. Ahsoka looked to Ezra and tried her best to hide the look of fear in her eyes.

"It's Vader's" She said.

"What do you see?" Sabine yelled up to them from the ground her voice was as worried as Ahsoka felt.

"The Empire is deploying troops into Cikera-Town." Ezra said. "Looks like the Mandalorians moved the bulk of their forces there. They were probably planning on leaving the planet from there."

"Cikera-town is abandoned so at least nobody will be in danger." Ahsoka said.

"Cikera-Town isn't abandoned." Sabine said.

"What?" Ezra asked incredulously. Both he and Ahsoka turned around to look down at Sabine and Zeb.

"We found at least fifty survivors when we passed through earlier. We told them we would come back for them and get them out, Ezra we have to go get them!" Sabine pled.

"We will." Kanan finally spoke before turning away from the brewing warzone.

"Ezra get what's left of the Holocron, we can't let the Empire have it even if it's broken." Ezra nodded and jumped down to the ground. Kanan went and stood next to Ahsoka as she still looked at the ship in the sky.

"Are you going to be okay?" Kanan asked placing his hand on Ahsoka's shoulder.

Ahsoka took a deep breath and let it out. She knew she had to do this. They couldn't let innocent people die, they had to help everybody they could no matter the cost.

She looked to Kanan staring deeply into his cloudy eyes and nodded with resolution.

"Let's go."

* * *

Ezra and the rebels made their way towards the people Sabine had told them about earlier. It was slow going but they so far had managed to avoid any conflicts that kept them from moving. Ezra felt Sabine press her hand on his shoulder and force him down as a TIE bomber flew overhead, it released a payload that hit the building just behind them sending heated rock and mortar crumbling down.

"Keep moving!" Ezra heard Kanan yell over the din of blaster fire and explosions. Ezra quickly nodded in thanks to Sabine then picked up the pace to get away from the destroyed building. The buildings burned and crumbled around them as the small group of rebels made their way through the narrow alleyways of Cikera-Town. The Empire and Mandalorians had engaged in all out war in the abandoned sector of Capital City and had so far been too distracted with each other to notice the small contingent of Rebel forces silently moving through the zone.

A Mandalorian fighter flew by overhead, it's engines so loud that Ezra's ears started ringing. It was quickly followed by the haunting howl of two TIE fighters opening fire on the ship as they passed overhead.

"They're just up ahead, building at the end of the alley on the right." Sabine told Ezra as they neared the location. The building Sabine pointed out looked mostly intact from the side they were on. He didn't see any smoke or large amounts of damage which was promising, but that could quickly change.

A loud clanking sound accompanied by the whirring noise of hydraulics began to grow in volume, alerting the Rebels. Ezra held up his hand and dove to the side of the alley hoping the shadows would conceal him. An AT-ST came into view walking along the street with a few stormtrooper squads behind it who moved up along the sides of the street.

Ezra turned to look back behind him to make sure everybody else was concealed in the darkness as well. The occasional explosion in the sky made their silhouettes visible but luckily that was it.

The AT-ST stopped moving directly in front of the alleyway. Slowly it turned to face them, Ezra could hear Sabine and the others shift uncomfortably at the new threat.

 _Come on, just turn back and keep going._ Ezra thought quietly. Just then, he noticed the large cylindrical shape next to the main gun on the machine. A spotlight.

Ezra swore loudly just as the spotlight came to life illuminating the entire alley in the bright light. He activated his lightsaber just in time to block the long red bolt that sprang from the AT-ST's gun towards his chest. The bolt deflected off of Ezra's lightsaber but the force of it was so much stronger than a regular blaster that it knocked him off of his feet and sent a wave of pain all the way from his hands to both shoulders.

His head landed on the dirt with a thud and his vision blurred. He saw two long white blurs appear then run over him followed by a single blue one. The bright light quickly faded leaving Ezra in the shadow again. Ahsoka and Kanan were followed by at least ten other shadows, their blasters erupting with fire as they moved around and past Ezra. He saw another large shadow appear over his face then felt two hands on his sides underneath his arms.

"When did you get so heavy?" The voice said as they hoisted him up and pushed his upper body against the wall. Ezra blinked and rolled his head to try and focus his vision.

"It's all muscle." Ezra laughed. He immediately regret the joke and winced in pain.

"Uh-huh." The voice replied. "I'm sure it is."

He felt something warm dripping down the back of his head and his left shoulder screamed in pain. His vision started to refocus revealing Sabine kneeling in front of him. He rolled his head to the side to look towards the street. The AT-ST lay on its side, its skinny legs sheared in half by what could have only been a lightsaber. Ahsoka and Kanan stood on top of its head deflecting blaster bolts from both directions while the rest of the Rebels set up a defensive position around it and returning fire.

"Come on." Sabine stood up and offered a hand to Ezra. "They're giving us a diversion we need to go get the survivors out of that building." Ezra gently took Sabine's hand with his good arm and let her pull him up onto his feet.

"Thanks." Ezra said as he steadied himself and nearly fell forward onto Sabine. Her hands wrapped around him and helped him steady himself.

"Easy there, Ez." Sabine said. He was so dizzy he could barely hold his head up straight. Sabine placed her hand on the back of his neck to steady him. He leaned into her, his forehead leaning onto her helmet, he was so close he could see her eyes through the visor. He knew it wasn't the right time, but he couldn't help but feel so close and connected to her at that very moment. The way she cared and was always there for him, even in the middle of all the chaos.

"Come on." Sabine said. She pulled away from Ezra making him stand on his own. Her golden eyes disappearing from sight throwing him out of the moment of peace and yanking him back into the war around him. "You might have a concussion. Just take deep breaths and focus on one thing at a time." Sabine told him.

"Right." Ezra nodded turning back to the wall behind him. The building that the survivors were in. He activated his lightsaber and plunged it into the wall with his right arm. He let his left arm hang limp at his side, his shoulder still in excruciating pain right where the flesh connected to his cybernetic arm. Whatever was wrong with it would have to wait.

He tried bringing the saber through the stone to create an entrance but with only one arm it was far too slow going. Ezra turned back to Sabine. "A little help?" He asked shamefully.

"Step aside." Sabine said. Ezra stepped back from the saber still lodged in the wall letting Sabine grab onto it and begin pulling it along. Ezra pulled his blaster out and ran to the edge of the alleyway then leaned against the wall. He peeked his head out into the street and saw that Kanan and the others were successfully holding the Imperials back. The few stormtrooper squads that were left were pinned down nearly two blocks away giving them plenty of breathing room.

"Ezra, we're through!" Sabine yelled. Ezra carefully turned on his heel, still dizzy from the hit to his head and jogged back to Sabine. She handed him his lightsaber and then pressed her open hands on the large oval shape of the wall that she had cut through. The wall eventually gave away under Sabine's pushing and the makeshift door collapsed on the floor inside.

She quickly jumped through and Ezra followed her to the stairs and down them. He heard Sabine sigh in relief once she made it to the bottom of the stairs. He came down behind her and was just as relieved to see all of the survivors still alive and unharmed.

"Come on. It's time to go!" Sabine said to the people.

"But the Empire is here, we'll be safe now." One of the men said. Ezra rolled his eyes and knew Sabine was doing the same at the man's ignorance.

"The Empire doesn't care if you live or die. We just watched them bomb an entire block because there were possibly Mandalorians there." Ezra said.

"We do care." Sabine said. "We know you're scared, but if you don't come with us you won't live to see tomorrow..." She pled, her voice making it obvious just how much she truly cared about these people. People she had never met, not even her own people. "...Please."

Ezra watched as the people muttered amongst themselves and looked to each other desperately, all hoping that one of them would have the right answer. He understood it was a difficult choice, but he personally knew it was the best option. He only hoped they would see it too.

Finally after a few moments the majority of them looked to Sabine and Ezra as if in agreement that they would follow.

"Alright. Follow me." Sabine turned and began leading the group up the stairs while Ezra stayed at the bottom making sure everybody made it up. After a few meticulous minutes of waiting for all of them to file up the narrow stairs, Ezra began walking up himself. HIs dizziness grew even more severe and his stomach grew queasy. Groaning in discomfort he placed his hand on the wall and leaned on it as he walked up the stairs and back onto the ground floor.

Once outside he pulled up his comms and spoke. "Kanan, we've got everybody out. Bringing them into the alley now."

" _Copy that!"_ Kanan responded loudly over the sound of blaster fire. " _Ahsoka, Zeb, and the rest of Sabine's team will go with you. I'll stay with Rex's team to try and keep them off your backs."_

"What?" Ezra asked. "No, Kanan we just got you back we shouldn't split up-"

" _It's not about us, Ezra!"_ Kanan retorted just as Ezra stepped outside into the alleyway. He looked toward the street to see Kanan look toward him despite not being able to see. " _We have to keep these people safe."_

Ezra sighed and rubbed his head in frustration as Ahsoka and Zeb broke away from the fighting group and ran towards them with a few Wookiees and human rebels in tow. He exchanged a quick understanding glance of frustration with Ahsoka as she ran by. She sympathized with Ezra's pain but they both knew that Kanan was right. It wasn't the option that any of them wanted, but it was the best one. And that meant Kanan had to take it.

As Sabine led the others away, Ezra looked back to his master one more time watching in anxiety as Kanan, Rex, and only five others held off countless soldiers. He held up his comm and activated it.

"May the force be with you, Kanan."

* * *

Ezra led the group towards the outskirts of the city with Sabine at his side. He could feel her watching him out of the corner of her eye but didn't pay it any mind. He could barely move his arm now and his vision was still blurry and disoriented but he didn't let it slow him down.

"This way." Ezra pointed through a wide market-like area that was filled with abandoned stalls and stands. He grimaced as a spike of pain shot through his head, the back of his head felt like it was going to bust through his skull.

Ahsoka and Zeb led the survivors across the street while Ezra leaned against the wall and held his head.

"Come on, Ez." He heard Sabine's voice echo in his ears. "Just a little bit further." She said softly, her voice sounded like music in his ringing ears.

"Right." Ezra groaned pushing himself off of the wall and walking forward. A loud whistling noise joined the ringing in his ears.

"Get down!" Ezra heard Sabine say just as her body barrelled into him. He fell back behind a dumpster in an alleyway as the source of the whistling made itself known. A rocket hit the wall almost directly where he had been standing. The wall crumbled and the side of the building with it. The stone wall came falling in pieces directly toward him and Sabine as they lay on the ground.

"Move!" He felt Sabine try to pull him up but their legs were tangled. Acting purely on instinct Ezra extended his right hand toward the wall and called on the force to help him. The piece of the wall directly above them slowed while the rest crumbled around them sending up a massive cloud of dust and debris.

Ezra's hand began to quiver as the wall he was holding up inched closer, it's weight too much to bear. He untangled himself from Sabine as quickly as he could and rolled to the side just in time as his will collapsed. The wall crashed the ground with a heavy crack as Ezra tried to collect himself.

" _What in the blazes was that?"_ Zeb asked over the comms.

"Rocket." Ezra coughed in response as he pushed himself to his feet. Just as Ezra regained his balance he saw three Mandalorians round the corner on the other side of the debris while an entire squad ran into the market towards Zeb and Ahsoka.

" _We're coming back for you!"_ Ahsoka responded. Ezra activated his saber as the soldiers facing them opened fire. He blocked the first two shots then ducked behind the debris just in time to dodge the rest of the salvo.

"No, they're coming after you too!" Ezra yelled into the comms over the ensuing gunfire. "Keep going, we'll catch up."

He tried to stand up but lost his balance and had to place his hand on the broken wall to steady himself. Another spike of pain went through his head making him groan.

A warning in the force pulled him out of his stupor just in time to notice one of the Mandalorians jumping up onto his cover. Ezra quickly spun on his heel and swung his lightsaber at the soldier's midsection, the saber cut through the armor with ease and the soldier crumpled to the ground screaming and clutching his stomach. Just as Ezra's target fell, Sabine shot another one with a well placed shot between the chest armor and helmet.

Ezra stood up to distract the third and final soldier but didn't expect what came next. The soldier raised up his hand as a fist and aimed it at both Sabine and Ezra. A shockwave emanated from his gauntlet and hit both of them squarely in the chest. Ezra was instantly thrown backwards and his lightsaber was knocked from his hand as he hit the ground and rolled to a stop, his head hit the ground again sending another wave of pain into his head and down his spine. He rolled onto his stomach as his face pressed into the dirt. He opened his eyes to see a blurry outline of Sabine pushing herself back up.

"It's been a long time Sabine." He heard a deep voice say. Ezra slowly pushed himself up as he grew more dizzy, the entire world spun around him as he found the speaker. The Mandalorian wearing black and blue armor with a black and white checkered pattern on his shoulder. The exact same pattern that Sabine use to have on her shoulder.

Sabine turned and raised her pistol at the Mandalorian who knocked it aside then kicked her. Sabine barely managed to sidestep the kick then elbowed the man in the neck. He staggered back but quickly recovered.

"Who are you?" Sabine demanded right before he grappled, her throwing her back into the wall.

"You don't recognize your own cousin?" The man asked angrily as Sabine charged him and tried to sweep his legs.

Ezra tried to help but quickly fell back into the wall as the world kept spinning. His eyes threatening to close as he slumped to the ground. He had lost control of his body and was entirely helpless to Sabine. He struggled to stand again but only fell forward onto his chest.

"Your mother will be happy to see you dead." The Mandalorian said.

"My mother would never support what you are doing!" Sabine yelled. "You're a traitor to the family!"

"You're the only traitor here!" He spat back. "And your mother is here. The entire clan is here!"

"No!" Sabine yelled as she pulled out her knife. The Mandalorian grabbed her wrist as Sabine tried to stab him, stopping the blade only a few inches short. Sabine dropped the blade and caught it with her other hand then plunged it into his stomach. With the knife still lodged in him, he grabbed Sabine by the shoulder with his free hand and reared his head back. He smashed his head into hers knocking her onto her back with his superior size and weight.

Then he reached down with both hands and gripped the hilt of the knife and grunted in pain as he pulled it out. Ignoring the thick stream of blood that poured out he walked toward Sabine with the blade in his hand.

 _No._ Ezra tried pushing himself up again but neither of his arms complied as his vision began to darken and fade.

The Mandalorian stopped moving just as Ezra heard a deep growling noise. At the same time, Ezra's eyes finally shut despite his efforts to keep them open. The last thing he heard was the growling growing louder and then the Mandalorian screaming as he slipped into unconsciousness.


	19. Confessions and Revelations

"Ez? Ez, wake up!"

Ezra yelled in fear as he came to and jolted up right. "What happened?" He asked frantically as he looked around. Sabine knelt in front of him, her hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright." Sabine said, her voice was calming and sweet to his ears. She sounded as exhausted as he felt. "We're alright." Her hand brushed up to his neck and jaw, her thumb brushed his cheek gently. He felt his face blush and leaned into the touch, they still hadn't really talked about what happened on Vorzyd, he wasn't even sure if she still felt the same. As if realizing what she was doing, Sabine snapped her hand away and stood back to her full height reminding Ezra that things were more complicated than that.

 _I'm not even sure what she ever felt,_ Ezra realized. His thoughts were quickly cut short by his survival instincts as he began to take in his surroundings. A narrow cave with a tall jagged entrance, the light of the two moons could just be seen outside through a thin layer of smog.

"Where are we?" Ezra asked. He pushed himself up onto his feet only realizing once he stood up that he wasn't dizzy anymore and his shoulder didn't hurt anymore.

 _What the hell?_ Ezra checked the back of his head and didn't feel any bleeding or swelling. He could feel a small bump that felt more like a scar than anything else.

"Not sure." Sabine said with a shrug. "Last thing I remember was that wolf coming out of nowhere and killing…" Her voice hitched on the last words as if she couldn't bear to say the name. She shook her head and passed over the name as she continued her explanation. "...Then it just walked up to me and I blacked out. I don't remember anything after that."

Ezra and Sabine both tensed at the sound of a low growl. Both drawing their weapons and raising them at the entrance of the cave. At the precipice of the entrance stood a white wolf. It's fur shining and almost glowing in the moonlight while it's eyes stared into their very souls.

Slowly it raised its head as if to tell them it didn't mean them any harm and turned away. Slowly it walked outside of the cave. Ezra felt it was telling them to follow so he apprehensively began to walk toward the opening. He reached the precipice and stared out onto the landscape. He was expecting to see the city, instead he saw a series of large spire rocks tightly knit amongst each other only a hundred meters away. Ignoring how they even got to where they were, Ezra was more shocked by who and what was between them and that large natural formation.

"Sabine…" Ezra said as his eyes grew wide in disbelief. "...Are you seeing this?"

"Yup." Sabine said in just as much shock as he was.

The survivors and the rest of the Rebels as well as the Ghost.

A small campfire was set up closer to the rocks with what appeared to be Zeb and a few others sitting around it while others waited patiently. Ezra could see Hera on top of the Ghost likely making repairs to the ship engines.

The white wolf was nowhere to be seen.

"I don't understand." Sabine said looking at Ezra as if for answers.

"Hey don't look at me. I'm just as lost as you are." Ezra answered with a shrug as he started walking towards the encampment.

"Well this is clearly something to do with the force! Did that wolf bring us here? Why did it help us?"

"The force works in mysterious ways." Ezra said. He understood now why Kanan and Ahsoka were so fond of using that as an answer to all of his questions. In truth, sometimes there were no answers, at least not that he could see or even possibly begin to comprehend. At the moment, he was content with the amount of mind bending things he had already witnessed so asking any more questions seemed unnecessary.

"That's a non answer!" Sabine protested sighing in frustration.

"It's all I've got, Sabine." Ezra said. "I'm sorry."

The two made their trek to the encampment at a walking pace, neither of them feeling the need to exert themselves anymore after everything they had been through. As they came closer they saw Hera stand up from the Ghost and look at them. They heard her voice yell at the others then saw as she pointed to them.

Ezra couldn't help but smile as Hera dropped down from the ship and ran towards them as they came into the encampment. The Twi'lek pilot who he had come to look at as a mother barreled into him and Sabine wrapping them both in her arms and pulling them into a hug.

She pulled her head away while still holding them tightly, a wide smile on her face as she took the sight of both of them in. Kanan, Ahsoka, Zeb, and Rex all ran up behind her, all smiling in relief and joy at confirming that everybody had made it out alright. It was the first time since being back on Lothal that Ezra actually felt at home. A melancholy reminder that home wasn't a place. It was wherever his family was.

"What happened to you? We lost contact on comms." Hera asked.

"It's uhh...hard to explain." Ezra said rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"What do you mean?" Zeb asked. "How did you get out of the city? It's a simple question, kid."

"The wolf." Kanan interrupted. His tone confident but mysterious as everybody turned their head to look back at him save for Zeb.

"Wolf? Where?" Zeb asked raising his rifle and aiming into the fields.

"Really, Zeb?" Sabine asked sardonically.

"Wolves are scary." Zeb answered, his large eyes filling with a surprising amount of anxiety at the thought of a wild beast. Ezra always found it entertaining to find a new thing that Zeb was irrationally scared of.

"It was the wolf that helped you, wasn't it?" Kanan asked again with a bit more elaboration.

"Oh." Zeb said lowering his rifle and looking a bit ashamed.

"Yeah." Ezra answered. "How did you know?"

"It helped me too." Kanan explained with a shrug. "When I arrived on Lothal, it guided me to Sabine and Zeb. If it hadn't brought me there in time-"

"-Then I'd be dead." Sabine said.

"And so would I." Hera added on quietly.

"Why would it help us? I don't understand." Sabine asked. Kanan shrugged and looked to Ahsoka who did as well.

"If it wanted us to know, it would tell us." Ahsoka said. "For now, just be grateful it's on our side."

"Well that's better than Ezra's answer." Sabine said. Ezra held his hands up and feigned offense but let it slide. As much as he enjoyed playful banter with Sabine he was just too tired and instead followed the others back to the camp.

"Ezra." Kanan said as he broke off from the group and nodded for Ezra to follow. Ezra followed the Jedi Knight to the back of the Ghost where Kanan sat on one of the crates that had been pulled out from the cargo bay. Ezra sat on one across from him and immediately felt his impatience grow. He had managed to keep his frustrations in check during all of the fighting but now it was much harder to bear. He wanted answers. He took a deep breath though and did as Kanan and Ahsoka had taught him to do. He closed his eyes and found his center, thinking of things and feelings that gave him serenity, that calmed him and helped him get his head straight.

"I owe you an explanation." Kanan said. Ezra didn't say anything knowing that Kanan would likely answer all of his questions. "I know Ahsoka told you everything I told her before leaving. I was called there by a being called Bendu. It taught me how to see in the force, how to keep fighting. That's why I was gone for so long." Kanan explained.

"Why didn't you contact us?" Ezra asked.

Kanan sighed and for a brief moment looked so much older than he truly was. "I was afraid. Maul made me truly afraid, Ezra. All I ever knew about the Sith was that fear led to the dark side and I fear nothing more than losing you. Any of you. You're all my family." He said carefully. "That's why I went to Bendu originally, I thought it could help me get rid of my fear and I didn't contact you because if I heard anything from any of you, I knew that I wouldn't be able to convince myself to stay and complete my training."

 _He gave up everything he loved to try and be better. To try and protect them._ Ezra realized as Kanan explained. It was the same thing Ezra had done. He pushed everybody away and buried himself in his training with Ahsoka for months.

"I know I failed you, and I'm sorry, Ezra." Kanan said.

"You didn't fail me." Ezra responded quickly as a lump began to form in his throat. He felt so shameful for being angry at Kanan all that time.

"You're not mad at me?" Kanan asked surprised.

"I would do the same thing." Ezra answered. "I _did_ do the same thing. Or at least I tried to, but I did it more out of cowardice than actually trying to better myself."

"You're not a coward, Ezra." Kanan said caringly. "You never were, and you never will be."

"Thanks, Kanan." Ezra said in resignation, he didn't truly believe it but he wasn't in the mood to argue over something so pointless. "I'm sorry for being so mad at you at first. To be honest, I resented you for leaving. But now…" Ezra paused as he realized it was just another example of Kanan picking the path that helped others and put others first, not the path he probably wanted, but the best one. "...now I realize that you were just doing the right thing."

"Trying to at least." Kanan said with a small smile. Ezra couldn't help but smile at the look of relief and happiness on his master's face. It was such a long time since he had seen Kanan not look stressed. It was a small victory in such dark times, but a victory nonetheless.

"I'm going to go check on Hera. Ahsoka wanted to talk to you." Kanan said after a moment of silence.

"Okay," Ezra said standing up from the crate as Kanan started to walk inside the Ghost. "And Kanan," Kanan stopped and turned his head so that one of his cloudy eyes was visible. "I'm glad you're back." Ezra said. The Knight smiled once more and nodded before walking onto the Ghost.

The Master and Padawan still had many things to discuss and catch up on but for that moment, it was enough closure for Ezra to know that Kanan was still the hero he always knew.

* * *

Ahsoka closed the small hologram projector after it's message ended. It bore the first good news she had heard in what felt like decades. Her newest agent from the Imperial ranks had reported that Maul's forces had retreated not just from Capital City, but from the planet. The fighting had come to an end and so had Maul's reign of terror on the innocents.

Ahsoka sat cross legged on the edge of the hill overlooking the sight of a burning Capital City in the distance. There were no more flashes of light or explosions but smoke still toiled from every sector and the sky above it still burned in an evil orange and red among the smoke and smog. Worse yet, the _Executor_ still dominated the sky above the city as ships flew to and from it, carrying out their commander's orders to the letter.

"Hey." She heard Ezra say from behind her. She turned her head to see the young man walk towards her and sit next to her. His eyes looked so pained as they took in the sight of the city before him. A reminder that he wasn't raised for war as she was. The sight was haunting but it was nothing she hadn't witnessed before. She had grown desensitized to it in a way that she could simply shut it off in the moment, a trait that the Jedi had valued and she had come to despise. How could the Jedi motivate themselves to protect the galaxy if they felt so little compassion and attachment to it? It was that type of hypocrisy that motivated her to not follow their doctrines anymore. She was glad that Ezra was independent enough to see the errors in the ways of the Jedi as well.

"Maul retreated." Ahsoka said hoping it would comfort Ezra. She knew he would rather hear that Maul was dead, but knowing that the fighting had stopped was good news as well. "The fighting in Capital City has stopped."

"At least now he'll be more focused on trying to just kill me." Ezra said sighing in frustration, his shoulders sagged, truly showing just how exhausted he was. Ahsoka couldn't even begin to imagine how difficult the past few hours had been for him. The first time he witnessed true war and it was right in his own home.

"You've been through a lot today, Ezra. You should try and get some rest." She said as non dismissively as possible. In truth, she welcomed his company and wanted him to stay, but she also knew that wasn't fair to him especially not when his mind was somewhere else.

She looked over at Ezra to see him watching something over on the adjacent hill. A slim figure walked up it and stood on the edge, her silhouette perfectly framed by the larger of the two moons. It wasn't difficult to recognize the figure as Sabine, it was even less difficult to recognize the pained look in Ezra's eyes as he slowly looked away and back toward the city.

"There's something on your mind." Ahsoka pried. She knew it wasn't necessarily any of her business but she wanted to do anything she could to help Ezra given the circumstances.

"It's nothing." Ezra lied quickly.

"It's Sabine." Ahsoka replied knowingly. She watched Ezra's cheeks flush as he looked down at the ground below him as if to try and deny what she said. The two had been different around each other ever since Vorzyd. "What happened between you two?"

Ezra sighed and remained silent for a moment, his lips moving but not saying anything as he tried to come up with some type of explanation. Finally he sighed in frustration "She kissed me."

"And?" Ahsoka asked.

"And then I thought maybe things would be different. I thought she felt the same way about me that I do about her."

"But then everything with Sera happened." Ahsoka said completing the thought.

"Yeah." Ezra said, his face turning morose as he recalled those horrible memories. "And then she just went back to being the same distant Sabine."

Ahsoka recalled going through a similar experience when she was even younger than Ezra and still a Jedi. A boy that she loved, and who felt the same way for her. Neither of them ever actually telling each other how they felt for many reasons, her reason being that she couldn't. She was a Jedi and it was against the rules. It was one of her biggest regrets never telling him how she felt.

 _And now he's dead._ Ahsoka thought shamefully recalling how he was one of the first to reject and promptly be killed by the Empire.

It wasn't against the rules for Ezra though, there was no Jedi Order to tell him what to do, to prevent him from being happy. It was a small thing for her to wish for, and maybe even a petty thing given how many things were broken and wrong in the galaxy but she wanted Ezra to have some form of happiness in his life. He deserved it more than anybody she knew.

"And how do you feel about her?" Ahsoka asked. Ezra paused for a moment, his eyes telling the story of his thought process as he began to think of an answer. He was never very good with words or explaining his feelings so Ahsoka patiently remained silent.

"She makes me feel like I belong." Ezra said. "Wherever I am, if she's with me, I feel like that's the place I am supposed to be." She saw a small smile creep onto his face as he spoke. "I feel like she makes me a better person and makes me want to be better. But at the same time she knows me and makes me feel like I'm just the way I am supposed to be."

Ahsoka couldn't help but smile at how affectionate and thoughtful Ezra was. At just how thinking about Sabine could make him so happy and passionate.

"And on top of that she's the most beautiful person in the whole damn galaxy." Ezra's voice began to rise before he grew quiet again and hung his head. "And I love her," he barely whispered.

Ahsoka wasn't taken aback at all by the profession of love. It was something that had long been obvious to everybody who knew Ezra but it was still surprising to finally hear.

"Does Sabine know that?" Ahsoka asked rhetorically.

"I thought it was obvious." Ezra shrugged.

"Maybe not to her." Ahsoka answered. "You need to tell her, Ezra. You owe it to yourself."

"Now doesn't seem like the right time." Ezra responded. Ahsoka sighed and looked back at the city and the _Executor_ above it.

"There never is a right time." She said. She looked back to Ezra. "We're at war, Ezra. For all you know this could be the last chance you could get."

Ezra thought about what she said then nodded. He stood up slowly and looked over to Sabine who still stood on the adjacent hill alone. "Thanks Ahsoka."

Before Ezra could walk away. Ahsoka decided to heed her own advice. "Ezra," He turned to face her waiting for her to speak. "No matter what happens, I want you to know that I'm proud of you."

"Thanks." Ezra responded in an unsure voice. He turned and walked away leaving Ahsoka alone again with her thoughts.

After a few minutes she looked over towards Ezra and Sabine. The two of them each outlined by the bright Lothal moons. She had done what she could to ensure they would stick together and realize that they were each others greatest allies. She didn't know how yet but she knew that whatever was coming, the entire galaxy would rely on the two of them to stop it. A heavy burden she didn't wish on anybody.

One that was even worse than hers as she looked back to the _Executor_ and prepared for the worst. She knew what was coming, she had been ready for it for a long time now. She only hoped Ezra would understand.

* * *

"I can see why you love this so much." Sabine said as Ezra approached her and stood next to her. The smog had cleared in front of the moons allowing their full beauty to be appreciated. A light breeze picked up bringing some cool air into the thick humid weather.

Sabine took off her helmet allowing the breeze to blow through her hair and cool her off. She took a deep breath and continued to watch the night sky as if she was worried it would go somewhere. She didn't ever want to look away.

"Yeah," Ezra said wistfully. "It's beautiful, there's nothing quite like it."

 _Oh, I've heard you compare at least one other thing to it._ Sabine thought but refused to say, remembering him saying those words when he was delirious and injured still made her smile. It was hard enough as it was to keep her feelings for Ezra in check, encouraging him would only make it worse though so she didn't say anything.

"We never got the chance to talk."

 _Damnit._

Sabine sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She had been putting this off for too long, Ezra deserved better.

"We can't, Ezra." Sabine said with exasperation as a lump formed in her throat. She felt him staring at her but continued to look straight ahead as if avoiding eye contact would make this easier. She knew she had to be honest with him, to tell him the truth and explain why they couldn't be together but that didn't make it any easier.

"We can't what?" Ezra asked.

"Do this…" Sabine said gesturing between the two of them.

"I don't understand." Ezra responded, he was so confused that it made her heart ache.

"Remember the last thing Sera said to me?" Sabine asked finally tearing her eyes away from the sky and looking at Ezra. He looked at her as if she was the last thing left in the galaxy.

Before Ezra could answer, Sabine said the words. The words that had been haunting her and reminding her who she truly was. "She said I was responsible for more death than Maul, that I'm not you think I am, and that death follows me."

"So?" Ezra said. "She was just trying to pull us apart."

"Maybe." Sabine said. "But everything she said was true. I'm not who you think I am, and you deserve better."

"No, I know you." Ezra said, his voice growing impatient as he began to plea with her. "You can't let what Sera said get in your head, Sabine. I know that you're a good person."

"Ezra, please listen to me just let this go." Sabine plead. She just wanted this to be over. "Don't make this harder than it has to be."

"I'm not the one trying to make things difficult, Sabine! What could Sera possibly know about you that I don't?" Ezra raised his voice in anger making Sabine flinch. She felt her own anger raising at the situation. Not just at Ezra but at herself for being such an idiot to ever think she could have a normal relationship. She couldn't deal with the frustration any more and finally snapped.

"Everything!" Sabine yelled stepping towards Ezra flinging her hands up. "Absolutely everything, Ezra!"

"Do you want to know what I did?! What I did for the Empire!" She yelled at him and continued to step forward making him step back defensively, his eyes wide with fear and shock. "I created weapons, Ezra! I made terrible weapons that the Empire used to strike fear into my people! To make them into their slaves!" Sabine practically screamed the words, the memories of the first time she saw those weapons used on her people echoing in her head. "I destroyed Mandalore! I destroyed my people! They're all just loyal servants of the Empire now, so fearful of their culture being wiped out that they allow the Empire to slowly suffocate them instead. And when I spoke out, when I tried to undo what I created! My own family turned against me, they cast me out and stripped me of my name and honor!" Sabine felt tears streaming down her face now as Ezra stared at her with his jaw dropped. She turned and pointed at the burning city behind them.

"And now my family is working with Maul like all those other Mandalorians because it's their only choice! Because their other option is to lose their very identity at the hands of the Empire!" She screamed and turned away from both Ezra and the city. The shame washed over her so strong that she couldn't bear to look at either of them anymore.

She threw her helmet on the ground and screamed in anger at herself. Once again, she had lost everything because of that stupid decision. All because she thought at one point in her life that the Empire was good.

"That doesn't change anything." Ezra said quietly. Sabine choked back a sob and looked back at him. The shock had waned from his face, only the familiar resolve that she had come to admire so much in him remained.

"The Empire did those things, not you." Ezra said. "And it doesn't change the fact that I love you."

Sabine opened her mouth to retort, to argue further that he was wrong. Then she realized what he had just said. He loved her.

"You…" Sabine began to say but couldn't put the words together. She knew Ezra cared for her but not that much.

"Always have." Ezra said plainly, his large blue eyes never leaving hers. "Always will." She didn't even know if she loved him, she had never really considered the thought. She had never even considered love as an option for herself which left her in a strange position of not having a single clue of what to say in response.

"Ezra I-" Ezra's eyes widened again in fear as he stepped towards Sabine and pulled out his lightsaber. It was only when she noticed him looking over her shoulder that she turned around and saw what he was looking at.

One single TIE fighter, an advanced model from what she could tell. It was flying directly towards them but didn't seem to be coming in for a strafing run.

"Why would they send a single ship after us?" Sabine asked looking at Ezra who still stared wide eyed at the ship as it came to a standstill only a hundred meters away. Slowly it began to descend and eventually landed.

"Why are you so worried?" Sabine asked. "They're landing and it's just one ship." She said as she picked up her helmet and put it on.

"Because it's not the ship that I'm worried about." Ezra said never tearing his eyes away. The ship hatch opened and a black armored hand reached out to pull up the body. "It's the pilot."

The armored figure climbed on top of the ship allowing Sabine to finally recognize why Ezra was so on edge.

Darth Vader.

"Sabine." Ezra looked at her as he said her name. "Get Ahsoka and Kanan."

* * *

Sabine led Ahsoka, Kanan, Zeb, Rex and the other remaining rebels towards Ezra. All of them sprinting as fast as they could while the survivors boarded the Ghost and Hera desperately tried to finish her repairs. She luckily only needed a few minutes but Sabine knew that holding Vader off for even a minute would be an achievement.

Sabine led them over the edge of the hill where Ezra and Vader stood twenty feet apart. Vader's ship deactivated behind him, he was alone.

Ahsoka held her hand up and indicated for everybody to form a semi-circle around the Sith Lord. Sabine quickly took a position on the side where she could get a good shot on Vader and still keep an eye on Ezra.

"Keep your distance." Ahsoka warned as she and Kanan walked up to Ezra. Ahsoka stood on Ezra's right while Kanan stood on hers. All of them readied their lightsabers waiting to activate and waiting for Vader to make a move.

"I have been waiting for this moment." Vader finally spoke. His loud voice echoing across the grassy plains.

"As have I." Ahsoka said.

"The Emperor will be glad to see the last of the Jedi die tonight." Vader said.

"That's not going to happen." Ezra spat back.

"I can sense that your powers have grown since we last met, Ezra Bridger." Vader responded. "Perhaps you will be able to stay in the fight for more than a few moments this time." Ezra began to step forward but Ahsoka quickly reprimanded him.

"He's trying to anger you, Ezra." Ahsoka warned him. Vader activated his saber at his side. The red light basking his surroundings. Ahsoka looked to both Kanan and Ezra who nodded in response.

The sight of Ahsoka, Ezra, and Kanan all simultaneously activating their lightsabers was awe inspiring. Without warning the three charged forward. Sabine immediately opened fire on Vader as did the others. He lazily blocked each shot then pushed Ahsoka to the side as she lunged at him. She was quickly replaced by both Ezra and Kanan despite them moving as quick as she ever had seen, the Sith lord blocked and parried all of their attacks with ease, all while barely moving.

She continued firing hoping it would help distract him as Ahsoka attacked again. Instead just took the first shot to the chest as if it was nothing, then he parried one of Ezra's attacks leaving the younger man vulnerable. Instead of attacking he grabbed Ezra by the neck and shoved the boy between him and Sabine while he deflected both Kanan's and Ahsoka's attacks.

Sabine cursed and moved over a few feet to get a shot without Ezra in the way but Vader continuously managed to keep putting Ahsoka, Ezra, and Kanan between him and all of the rebels.

As Ahsoka, Kanan, and Ezra all began to coordinate their attacks, she could see Vader grow impatient then finally he brought both of his arms together then threw them out. The three were all thrown back by a massive shockwave that even made Sabine stumble backwards. Before the three even landed, Sabine and the Rebels immediately opened fire on Vader.

She realized too late that was part of his plan though. Vader began walking forwards as he expertly deflected each blaster bolt, Sabine watched in horror as every single shot fired at him was then sent back to somebody else as he marched forward. The rebels in front of him tried backing away to no avail. Vader extended his open hand and clenched it into a fist pulling two of them directly toward him. He lashed out with his lightsaber cutting them both in half as they passed by either side, their remains flying into Ahsoka, Ezra, and Kanan.

Sabine grimaced and macabre display and held her fire as Vader cut down another rebel then turned towards her. She couldn't open fire knowing that he would only use that firepower for himself. She stepped back as Vader stepped forward raising his hand towards her. As if he was holding her himself, she felt an invisible hand clench her by the throat and pull her off of the ground. Sabine choked for air and dropped her rifle clutching at her neck and desperately tried to free herself to no avail.

Vader took a few more steps and soon was only a few feet away. He raised his saber up to attack and brought it down towards her head. A bright flash of green collided with the red only inches away from her neck. Sabine dropped to the ground and looked up as she gasped for air to see Ezra between her and Vader. Ezra held his saber with both hands, his arms were shaking under the force of Vader's pressure who only used one hand.

With a simple shift in weight, Vader pushed Ezra back. Sabine rolled out of the way as Ezra stumbled backwards and regained his footing. She rolled onto her feet and unholstered her pistols as Vader turned just in time to ward off an attack from Ahsoka and Kanan who both circled around the Sith lord.

Ezra, Ahsoka, and Kanan all took positions around Vader while Sabine, Rex, and Zeb did the same. Vader had managed to cut through everybody else in only a matter of seconds leaving only the six of them. Sabine had witnessed his power first hand but to see it again was somehow just as shocking. Just as will breaking, she understood now why so many people bowed in fear to Vader.

The Sith lord showed no sign of caring about being surrounded, it was as if he didn't even notice. The shifting of feet, the hum of the lightsabers, and Vader's breathing was the only thing that could be heard as both sides waited for the other to make the next move.

"Your powers have indeed grown, Bridger." Vader finally said. "You could grow even stronger if you did not learn from cowards such as these."

 _No, don't talk to him._ Sabine pled as she shifted towards Ezra protectively.

"I've learned from heroes." Ezra replied.

"Heroes…" Vader breathed. "...that killed thousands of innocent people."

"We didn't-" Ezra began to protest but was interrupted by a massive thundering boom that shook the very ground they stood on.

 _That came from the city._ Sabine looked toward the city, her eyes going wide in horror as a green blast emanated from the city engulfing it almost entirely. The buildings were instantly incinerated as the blast echoed outward. The green light burned upward into the sky illuminating the sky in a sickly color.

The flames quickly faded leaving nothing in its place. Where the city once stood was nothing but crumbling ash and the occasional husk of a building. All within a few seconds.

Sabine's jaw began to shake and tears welled up in her eyes. Hundreds of thousands of lives extinguished in only a moment. All of the lives they had been fighting to protect and Vader just killed them all like they were nothing.

Ezra broke the echoing silence with a scream of anger as he turned on Vader and charged.

"Ezra, no!" Sabine yelled as his lightsaber clashed with Vader's. Even from a distance, she could see the pure hatred in Ezra's eyes as he lashed out again and again. Ahsoka and Kanan joined to try and take the attention off of Ezra. But Vader paid them no mind, keeping them at bay as Ezra slashed high then low using every bit of strength at his disposal all the while Vader only used one hand.

 _He's not even trying._ Sabine realized in shock. Vader was just toying with them this entire time.

"Hera! How are those repairs coming?" Sabine asked frantically as it occurred to her that Vader would eventually grow bored of his games.

" _Powering up the Ghost now! Get on board!"_ Hera replied quickly.

Sabine watched as Ezra jumped towards Vader with his saber high. Vader lazily extended an open hand and pushed Ezra away then turned and focused on Kanan and Ahsoka. Before Ezra could get back on his feet Zeb and Sabine ran towards him and she placed a hand on his chest holding him down. She leaned forward in front of him as his wild eyes stared and focused only on Vader.

"Ezra, it's time to go!"

"I'm gonna kill him!" He yelled as he pushed against Sabine. Sabine sighed and pushed Ezra back down. She knew that look in his eyes, he wasn't going to give up but neither was she. She had promised she would do everything she could to help keep Ezra safe. She looked at Zeb and then Rex.

"Get out of here, I've got this!" She yelled, both did as they were told and began to run back towards the Ghost.

"Sorry for this." She said as she switched her pistol to stun and fired it directly at Ezra's chest. He quickly fell limp onto the ground as his eyes closed. She stood up and watched as Kanan and Ahsoka desperately tried to hold Vader off.

Vader slashed at Kanan who leaned back narrowly dodging the attack while Ahsoka slashed at Vader's chest. Vader backed away just in time then retaliated. Ahsoka and Kanan both extended their hands towards Vader at the same time, their combined efforts pushing him back with the force. He flew backwards almost twenty yards and fell onto his back.

Ahsoka quickly ran past Sabine to Ezra then knelt down beside him.

"Thank you." She said looking up at Sabine who simply nodded knowingly. She could see the pain in Ahsoka's eyes as she looked down toward the unconscious Ezra. She wrapped her arms around him and picked him up.

"Let's go!" She said. The three quickly ran as fast as they could away from Vader and towards the Ghost.

Sabine ignored the burning in her lungs and moved her legs as fast as possible once the Ghost came into sight. Its engines glowing as they began to power up.

"Get it off the ground, Hera!" Kanan yelled into his comms. "We'll jump!"

The ship started to ascend but stopped once it was only a few feet off of the ground. "Keep going!" Kanan yelled again as they came closer.

The ship started to lower back to the ground. " _I can't! Something's pulling us back down."_

Both Kanan and Ahsoka stopped in their tracks and turned. Sabine followed suit to see Vader at the top of the hill, his hand raised toward the Ghost as he moved toward them one step at a time.

"Is he holding the ship down?!" Sabine asked incredulously as she looked back at the Ghost that was now grounded again. The cargo bay was still open with Zeb, Rex and the survivors all staring onward in fear.

Neither Kanan nor Ahsoka answered. Sabine watched the two of them share a knowing look, calmness in their composure making for an uneasy air as Ahsoka turned toward Kanan with a grim look on her face.

"I know what I have to do now." She said.

"Wait what are you doing?" Sabine asked as Kanan silently placed a comforting hand on Ahsoka's shoulder and closed his eyes. His hand fell from her shoulder and he took Ezra in his arms.

Ahsoka turned and looked to Sabine, her blue eyes bore tears but also that of purpose. "It's up to you to protect Ezra now." Sabine's eyes widened in realization as Ahsoka's plan became recognized.

"Ahsoka, no!"

"Go!" Ahsoka yelled as she waved Sabine and Kanan away.

Sabine looked to the Ghost to see it still being held down. Vader was almost on them now and Ahsoka's plan was the only idea Sabine could think of herself.

"Damnit!" Sabine yelled in frustration and began to run towards the Ghost. It was the only option and Ahsoka knew it.

She ran onto the loading ramp right after Kanan. She slapped the button to close the ramp behind her.

"What about Ahsoka?" Rex asked frantically as the ramp began to close and separate him from his former commander. He looked to Sabine who merely shook her head unsure of the right words to even say.

"No!" Rex yelled as he realized her plan. He tried to run off but Sabine grabbed him and pushed him back.

"She's saving us Rex!" Sabine yelled.

"I won't let her die!" Rex yelled in protest as Zeb grabbed the clone and held him back.

"We don't have a choice!" Sabine responded before turning to watch Ahsoka before the ramp finished closing. The former Jedi charged towards Darth Vader faster than Sabine had ever seen. She assaulted Vader with both lightsabers then instantly flipped over him as he grabbed his saber with both hands and attacked. The Ghost began to lift off just as Vader knocked one of Ahsoka's lightsabers aside and then brought his saber down for the finishing blow. The cargo bay door closed just in time and Sabine felt the Ghost jolt with speed as it flew away and into space.

Rex screamed in anger and threw his rifle on the ground, the loud metal clang echoing throughout the hold and making a few of the survivors flinch. Kanan set Ezra down on the floor and sat down next to him, his cloudy eyes staring directly forward as his hands lay at his sides. It was the look of defeat.

Sabine pressed her hand against the cargo bay door and hung her head as her shoulders slumped in defeat herself. She had never been friends with Ahsoka, barely even acquaintances, but she was a good person, a hero even.

 _May the force be with you, Ahsoka Tano._ Sabine said as she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the hull. She didn't fully understand what it meant, but she knew it was the best thing she could possibly say to honor her sacrifice.

* * *

Ahsoka was gone.

It was one of the few thoughts that kept cycling through Ezra's mind as he watched the sunset on Atollon. He had been unconscious for the entire trip back, when Sabine and Kanan had told him what happened, what Ahsoka did. He had practically shut down, he didn't know what to say or what to do.

He was just as paralyzed with fear as he was after Malachor. And it made him feel weak.

Ezra sat at the edge of the mesa where he and Ahsoka had spent countless hours. The sun set directly in front of him but he didn't feel the same warmth that normally accompanied it. He barely felt anything at all. Even the sight before him gave him no comfort. All it did was remind him of his friend's voice, the glint of life in her eyes whenever they would spar or she taught him about piloting. It reminded him of how he would never see that again.

How Maul took that from him. He knew it was Vader who ended up striking the killing blow on Ahsoka, it was Vader who had the city destroyed. And Vader would pay for that, but there was somebody else who had to pay first.

The person who had started it all.

 _Maul._ Ezra scowled at the thought of the despicable creature. Maul caused all of it, all so he could see only the force knew what in the holocron. Ezra looked down at the broken pieces of the holocron in front of him. The four sides and the still glowing kyber crystal that was housed inside.

He thought of his own vision and cursed himself for being so stupid to go with Maul's plan.

 _Twin Moons and Twin Suns._ Ezra repeated the words and cursed again knowing that wouldn't help him in finding and destroying Maul.

The only thing that could have helped him was the holocron but now it was broken. He had opened it before he reminded himself.

 _But I didn't use it. Because I was weak._ Ezra chastised himself again. He considered the idea that if he had used it before, maybe Ahsoka would be alive, maybe Capital City and everybody in it would still be alive as well. He could have killed Maul and even Vader.

The only thing he would have lost would have been himself. He picked up the glowing kyber crystal and inspected it, still perfectly flawless.

Ezra looked down at the broken pieces of the holocron and tilted his head as an idea occurred to him. The crystal was what gave the holocron its power just like a lightsaber. If the crystal was intact then it still held the knowledge.

Ezra placed the crystal down next to the other broken pieces and closed his eyes. He buried himself deep into his thoughts shutting out everything around him and quickly began to focus on the pieces of the holocron.

He went deeper and deeper into the recesses of his mind focusing as hard as he could and with each second he could feel the pieces coming together as he wanted.

After an hour he felt the final piece click into place and he opened his eyes to see a familiar sight.

The Sith holocron levitating before him. The omniscient red glowing brighter in the sunlight as Ezra grabbed it and held it before him. At his very touch, he felt the holocron hum with power as he stood up and began walking away from the cliff and towards his destination.

He knew exactly what he had to do now and what he was willing to sacrifice. He wasn't arrogant enough to think he could keep the holocron from controlling and corrupting him. He didn't care if it did. The only thing Ezra cared about was using its power to kill Maul and destroy the Empire.

Without hesitation he walked towards Sera's old ship and boarded it alone. There was no need to involve anybody else in this. He didn't want anybody else to get hurt trying to protect him.

He walked up to the pilot's seat and began the startup sequence without any emotion other than pure rage flowing through his body.

He ignored the hails from ship control and took off, within moments he was in the orbit of Atollon with no thoughts for his family or friends. His hands deftly lifted the holocron in front of him as the ship entered hyperspace.

The holocron instantly opened at his touch and with it came the familiar whispers and tendrils of darkness that slithered outwards and wrapped themselves around Ezra's mind. Only he didn't resist this time.

Instead he looked directly into the darkness and embraced it. "Teach me."

* * *

Sabine sat on the edge of her bed in the Ghost, her head hung low and her eyes closed as she replayed the past day in her head. She methodically went through every single event, through every different action she took and every one she could have taken instead. She desperately searched for any possible way in which she could have prevented what happened. Any reason to blame herself instead of just believing that it was the way it was meant to be.

Capital City was gone. Ahsoka was gone. And Sabine couldn't think of any way to have prevented it.

The hologram communicator on Sabine's desk started ringing making her jump. Sabine cursed at the device then moved to reject the request. Once she saw the name on the caller she sighed then sat down and accepted the call.

"Hey, sis." Ketsu said as the hologram began to project her. The former bounty hunter had ditched her sardonic behavior, her voice carrying only sympathy as Sabine returned the greeting.

"Hey." Sabine sighed.

"I heard what happened." Ketsu said softly. "I'm so sorry. I'm just glad you guys made it out okay."

Sabine closed her eyes and shook her head. "I wish that was the case. We lost a lot of people, and Lothal lost even more. I can't even imagine how the Empire plans on covering up what they did."

"Yeah.." Ketsu replied apprehensively. "About Lothal, that's part of why I called. The Empire isn't trying to cover it up at all, at least not all of it."

"What?" Sabine asked raising her eyebrow inquisitively.

Ketsu sighed and rubbed her forehead like she always did when she was frustrated. "The Empire is turning the narrative against you. The bomb wiped away all evidence of a battle and they're claiming that the bombing of Capital City was a terrorist attack."

"What?!" Sabine asked incredulously. "There's no way anybody would believe that!"

Ketsu simply shook her head and shrugged. "With bounties like the ones on your heads, nobody cares enough to ask questions. The entire Outer Rim is up in arms hunting for you all already."

"How big are these bounties?" Sabine asked.

"Seven hundred fifty for you, Hera, Zeb, and Rex. Eight for Kanan and one million for Ezra." Sabine was so taken aback by the bounties that she almost felt proud of herself for warranting such a high price from the Empire. The more rational part of her knew how much this complicated things though. The only benefit the Rebellion had over the Empire was that the people supported them, especially those in the Outer Rim. With such large bounties on their head, people would be more likely to shoot them than help them.

The door to Sabine's room opened without warning and Chopper quickly wheeled in beeping frantically.

"Whoa, Chop. Slow down." Sabine said as she tried to translate what the droid was saying.

" _Ezra is gone."_ Sabine finally figured out what the droid was saying and instantly felt her heart stop.

"I've gotta go." Sabine said as she ended the call when Ketsu was right in the middle of asking what the hell was going on. To be honest, Sabine didn't know herself. She practically ran after Chopper as he wheeled out of her room and into the common room. Everybody else was already waiting there. Hera was sitting with her elbows on the table and her head in her hands while Kanan stood next to her with a hand on her shoulder. Zeb looked as worried as a mother who just lost her child while Rex simply stood in the corner looking defeated and dejected.

"What's going on?" Sabine demanded.

"Ezra is gone." Kanan repeated the same words that Chopper had said making Sabine only more angry and frustrated.

"And?" Sabine asked raising her voice demanding more information.

"He took a ship and he's gone, Sabine. That's all we know." Zeb said. "He didn't leave a message, he didn't tell anybody where he was going."

"We have to go after him!" Sabine immediately said.

"Where would we even start?" Hera asked tiredly as she let her hands fall onto the table in front of her. Her shoulders drooped with exhaustion as she looked to Sabine for answers.

 _He's all alone. He doesn't know about the bounties. Everybody will be hunting for him._ Sabine realized just how much danger Ezra truly was in.

"He's probably going after Vader." Said Rex.

"No." Sabine interjected as everybody turned their eyes to her. "He's going after Maul. Maul started all of this, and Ezra wants to finish it alone. So that nobody else gets hurt."

"And you know this how?" Kanan asked without even turning his head to look at Sabine.

"Because I know Ezra." Sabine shrugged. "And it's because it's what I would do."

 _Even though it's quite possibly the dumbest idea ever._ Sabine said silently in moment of self awareness. It was an attempt to be selfless, to protect others by sacrificing oneself in the most reckless way possible. It was the perfect representation of Ezra's persona and unfortunately one of the many things she loved about him.

 _So now I, a fugitive with a massive bounty on my head need to go hunt down another fugitive who can use the force and doesn't want to be found and who I happen to love._

 _Do I love him?_ Sabine asked herself as that moment of Ezra confessing replayed in her head.

 _It doesn't change the fact that I love you._ The look in his eyes when he said those words made her cheeks burn. Even after admitting all of her terrible stupid mistakes to him, he still loved her. Now he was going to make the ultimate mistake, sacrificing himself in an attempt to protect the people he loved. To protect her.

 _Osik, I do love that stupid Jedi._

"I'm going after him." Sabine said as everybody looked at her.

"I want to bring him home just as much as you, Sabine." Hera protested. "But we don't even know where he's going."

"Oh, I know exactly where he's going." Sabine said. "And I'm going after him alone. I'm going to find him and kick his ass for being so stupid." She turned on her heel not allowing anybody to argue with her.

 _And I'm going to tell him I love him._

* * *

 **Well there is the official halfway mark for this story. I hope you all enjoyed! If you have questions or things like that then feel free to PM me but just know that most questions you will likely have will be answered in the future of the story.**

 **Another quick note regarding Vader Vs. Ahsoka, Kanan, and Ezra. As powerful as the three of them fair I felt it only fitting to demonstrate and respect just how powerful Darth Vader truly is so I really didn't see any way in which I could have the three of them do any more than distract him for a short period of time. Please don't hate me.**

 **Also a special shoutout to The Hot Dog Man for that incredibly kind review. I appreciate everybodies reviews but I was in a really tough place with writers block and Hot Dog I just want to thank you for your review because it really motivated me to get my shit together. Thanks!**


	20. On the Hunt

**This chapter is where the prologue actually occurs so if you don't remember it since it was so long ago then I encourage you to go quickly re-read it!**

* * *

Chapter 19: On the Hunt

Sabine dropped down from the side of her ship. A retrofitted Z-95 Headhunter with a hyperdrive that had surprisingly gotten her to her destination in one piece. The starfighter was easily three times her age and flew like it had been through every major space battle since it's making.

As Hera had assured her though, it would get the job done.

She looked up to see a rather beautiful sight in the night sky. Something that she had grown to appreciate more and more over the past months. The sky was illuminated with a long band of stars and colors that made up the local Nebula and evidently went from horizon to horizon. The sound of electricity and sparks distracted Sabine from the scenery. She turned around and sighed in frustration as the engines shot out a waterfall of sparks and then shuddered before cutting out.

"Ship trouble?" A familiar voice called out sarcastically. Sabine turned to the edge of the hangar to see Ketsu standing with her hand on her hip and a warm smile on her face.

"Something like that." Sabine smiled in return not that Ketsu could see it with her helmet still on. As upset as she currently was with the combination of anxiety with her ship and worrying about Ezra she was still happy to see her best friend.

"New paint job?" Ketsu asked as Sabine closed in.

"Yeah," Sabine said looking down at her armor. "Decided on a new look given the bounty out on my head." She had replaced her clothing with an all black body glove and repainted all of her armor. The chest piece was now a dark purple with a white stripe down the center while the armor on her arms was all black. She had also repainted her helmet to the same purple but with a white insignia outlining her T-Visor. An insignia that only a choice few would recognize and the only way she new how to honor Ahsoka. The symbol of Fulcrum, the same as the markings on Ahsoka's face.

Sabine took off her helmet revealing to Ketsu she had also gone back to her original dark brown hair color. She personally hated it and wanted nothing more than to give it some color again but she knew that it would only draw more attention to herself.

"Well I like it as always." Said Ketsu. "Now welcome to Sarrahban." She added, opening her arms wide, her purple eyes glowing in the light of the night sky.

Sabine and Ketsu exchanged a quick hug before they got down to more serious matters. Sabine was there for a reason other than to see her friend after all.

"Did you get everything?" Sabine asked as Ketsu dropped a large duffle bag between the two of them. Sabine knelt down and opened the bag revealing all of the specialized equipment she had asked for.

"All of it." Ketsu said. "You're lucky I kept all of this stuff. Prices on bounty hunting equipment skyrocketed in this sector after those bounties were released on all of you."

"Yeah…" Sabine said as she began checking the equipment. "...lucky me." She added as she grabbed a long barrelled sniper rifle out of the bag with a quizzical look on her face.

"Tranq gun." Ketsu explained. "You didn't ask for it, I know, but you need it if you're going to try bringing him back."

"I can just stun him." Sabine said.

Ketsu shook her head. "That only lasts for an hour or two at most though and you need to get close." She pointed at the rifle in Sabine's hands. "That will last for twelve hours on a Wookiee so it should keep that gangly little boy down for a whole day."

Sabine nodded in approval. "What's the range on it?"

"Manufacturer says a hundred meters." Ketsu shrugged. "So for you I'd say a hundred and fifty."

Sabine nodded in approval and put the weapon down before checking the rest of the contents. It had everything she needed and then some. Tracking devices, stun cuffs, sleeping gas, long range electrobinoculars, everything a bounty hunter would need. Towards the bottom of the bag she found a larger flat object just a bit smaller than the size of her torso. It didn't take her long to recognize the device as a jetpack although she had never seen the model before.

"Low profile jet-pack." Ketsu said. "So you can keep up with all that ridiculous jumping that Ezra can do." Sabine smiled not even wanting to question how much it cost or how Ketsu got her hands on it.

"Thanks." Sabine said emphatically. She had been wanting to get one for a long time now but they were so expensive and the opportunity to steal one had not yet presented itself. She placed the jetpack next to her and went further into the bag revealing two small items that she most definitely had not expected to see. She gently took one of them and held it up in admiration. Mandalorian vambraces, only the most elite warriors of their culture were allowed to even own them due to their purpose, hunting Jedi.

"How did you get these?" Sabine asked as she inspected the gear. They appeared to be fully equipped. Grappling line, paralyzing darts, repulsor, shield emitter, dual blaster barrels, and a miniature flame thrower.

"Long story." Ketsu shrugged. "But the owner definitely does not need them anymore." She said mischievously.

Sabine happily replaced her old homemade vambraces that only had a grappling line with the new ones then put the rest of the gear back into the bag.

"So what's your plan?" Ketsu asked as Sabine stood up and slung the bag over her shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Sabine asked. "I'm going to track him down." She said with a shrug.

"And then what?" Ketsu asked quizzically with a raised eyebrow. "And why is it just you going after him?"

"What's with all the questions?" Sabine asked. "He's my friend and he's in danger, what more explanation do you need?" She said in frustration only then recognizing the knowing look in Ketsu's eyes.

Sabine sighed and hung her head as she realized there was no way Ketsu wouldn't have figured it out.

"You finally going to tell him?" Ketsu asked. Sabine didn't need Ketsu to elaborate anymore, she knew exactly what her friend was referring to.

"Yeah." Sabine said quietly.

"About time." Ketsu said. "Was getting tired of watching you two beat around the bush for the past year."

 _Me too._ Sabine realized, the anxiety and worry she had for Ezra growing even more making her wish she had realized the way she felt so much earlier.

"Come on. I'll help you fix your ship and we can talk about it. Figure out what the rest of your plan is after professing your undying love." She teased. Sabine rolled her eyes but didn't deny the offered help.

She knew she needed as much as she could get.

* * *

 _Ezra sat at the table in his home. His home on Lothal. The sun shined through the open windows as the wind brought in the fresh cool morning air. His parents were sitting across from him eating breakfast and talking about work. Their voices which he hadn't heard in so long sounded like music to his ears._

 _Everything was perfect. He listened more intently as the discussion came to an end and his mother began to hum a song that she used to sing to him as a much younger child._

 _The sun quickly faded and the wind grew stronger and stronger until it became a haunting howl. Ezra stood up from the table and walked toward the nearest window. As he looked out, his eyes widened in fear and he began to tremble in shock._

 _The city was gone. Everything around their house was a smoldering wreck. The smog clouds that hung low rained ash and a few scattered souls stumbled through the remains of their own homes like husks of their former selves._

" _Ezra…" multiple disembodied voices echoed in his ears. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he turned around to see the speakers. He stumbled backwards in shock and gasped. His mother and father were both standing and facing him, they wore tattered dirtied prison jumpsuits, their bodies were emaciated and gaunt and their hands were disfigured and scarred as if from years of manual labor. Next to them was Ahsoka, her vibrant colors washed out by a thin layer of ash. She was covered in black scorch marks and cuts from a lightsaber and her eyes entirely lifeless, and next to her was Sera. Her eyes equally lifeless and her entire body shivering from a cold he couldn't feel._

" _You let us all die." They all said in unison as they stepped forward._

" _No!" Ezra protested. "I did everything I could!"_

" _You let us die!" His mother said as they closed in on him. He tried to run but his feet wouldn't move. Ahsoka lurched forward and grabbed him by his shoulders pulling his face in front of hers as her face contorted with rage._

" _Because you're weak!"_

"No!" Ezra screamed as he jolted upward from his bed and pushed away at nothing. He frantically looked around noticing he was alone in the room he had picked for himself on the ship.

He sighed heavily and cursed at himself for having such a nightmare then wiped the sweat away on his forehead. Knowing he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, he decided to at least do something productive and got out of the bed. The cool metal floor was refreshing on his feet that were just as overheated as the rest of his body.

He flicked on the light and went to the small desk that was built into the wall of the room. He caught a glance of himself in the short mirror on the wall across from him.

His skin was paler than usual and his eyes looked different but he couldn't quite place how. Moving closer he noticed that there appeared to be small streaks of yellow growing in his eyes.

 _Whatever._ Ezra sighed as he went and sat back down at his desk. He knew what it meant, he just didn't care.

 _Maybe that's why it's happening so quickly._ Ezra thought to himself. _Because I'm not resisting._

He shrugged it off realizing that ultimately, it didn't matter. Even after only using it once he felt so much more powerful than he ever had in his life. He had learned so many new things about how to manipulate the force and bend it to his will. He opened the drawer on the desk and pulled the Holocron out. It immediately hummed and emanated energy at his touch. The device opened as Ezra held it out in front of him.

" _What do you desire."_ The whispers said.

"Teach me more." Ezra said quickly.

* * *

 _So this is Sakiya._ Ezra thought to himself as the entrance ramp to the ship closed behind him. It was a tropical planet, the air was hot and humid, he could already feel moisture condensing on his forehead and sweat forming under his clothes. The massive swarms of flying insects told him that it was probably a better idea to keep his long sleeves on while the general population of the planet told him it was best to also keep all of his armor on. He had landed his ship in a small hangar at the edge of the city close to where his contact had asked to meet him.

Ezra stepped out through the small hangar doors into the densely packed city. People of all races scuttled about the busy streets while the tall factories surrounding them billowed out smoke and noise that juxtaposed the suspiciously healthy vines and trees that grew along the sides of the street and up the sides of the buildings.

A swathe of citizens parted, allowing an Imperial troop carrier with a squad of Stormtroopers walking behind it to come through. Ezra quickly turned away, hiding his face, and began walking towards his destination. As interesting as the strange combination of nature and industry was to look at, he didn't have the time or the luxury to sightsee. A reality he had come to accept long ago, as long as the Empire was around. He would never have an even remotely normal life.

 _A normal life._ Ezra said the words to himself as he recalled how he use to picture that. Living by one of the shallow seas of Lothal with Sabine. Watching the sky with her every night. She could teach him about art and how to swim, another skill he had never learned growing up. He used to think of that life every night.

Now it all just felt like what Ezra realized it truly was: an unreachable fantasy. His home was destroyed, the beautiful seas polluted and dead, the Empire stronger than ever, and any future with Sabine seemed more preposterous than ever before.

A sense of danger overwhelmed Ezra pulling him from his reflections and back into the now. He continued moving and observed his surroundings. He saw nothing out of the ordinary to his left or right or in front of him leaving only behind him, though he knew better than to look back when being followed.

He also didn't need to.

 _Time to test out the new powers._ Ezra thought as he extended his mind out in the force. He sifted through all the strangers and other people, quickly detecting their intentions to be either innocent or not directed towards him. After a short minute while walking down the street, he found the suspect he was looking for. There was no mistaking the pure intent of violence directed at him. Whoever it was wanted to get to Ezra badly.

Ezra smirked maliciously as he quickly turned onto another street then into an alleyway. At the end of the alleyway was a wall that seperated the city from the tropical rainforest. Ezra began walking towards the wall until he felt his pursuer turn into the alleyway behind him. Then he picked up the pace and easily jumped over the wall and rolled to a stop on the moist dirt and moss.

He listened carefully to the footsteps of his follower pick up and slowly scale the wall.

 _Amateur._ Ezra said to himself in disbelief at how easily his pursuer took the bait.

Ezra quickly slid behind a tree and listened for the right moment, as soon as he heard the sound of feet landing on dirt he jumped out from behind his hiding spot and charged his attacker. It was a human only a few inches taller than Ezra and wearing a mismatched set of old armor as well as a simple T-visor face mask.

The man frantically reached for his pistol at the sight of Ezra but was too slow and clumsy. Ezra backhanded the pistol out of the man's hand knocking it into the dense undergrowth and slammed into him with all of his body weight and pressing his cybernetic arm against his chest. The man yelped in pain at the sudden attack and tried to fight back but the strength of Ezra's arm on his chest was too much for him to do anything against.

"Who sent you?" Ezra growled as the man tried to knee him in the stomach. Ezra turned himself sideways to the man to avoid anymore possible threats from his opponents legs.

"I'm not telling you anything! You're a damned terrorist!" The man spat back. Ezra sighed and held his hand up to the side of the man's head.

"You will tell me who sent you." Ezra said impatiently. The man immediately stopped struggling, his body going rigid for a brief moment then relaxing again as the mind trick took hold over him.

"Nobody. I'm just trying to collect the bounty on you." The man said, his voice sounding strangely younger than before. Noticing the immaturity, Ezra pulled the mask off of the man to reveal a young boy, no older than sixteen.

 _That explains why he was so easy to bait._ Ezra realized.

"Please don't kill me!" The boy plead with Ezra, his jaw trembling and his eyes beginning to tear up.

 _He'll tell others where you are._ The whispers in the back of Ezra's head said. _Kill him._

Ezra shook his head trying to get the voices out of his head. He looked carefully at the boy who still stood petrified and unable to move with Ezra holding him against the wall. He wasn't evil, he wasn't with the Empire or with Maul, he was just a kid trying to make money and survive.

 _Just like I use to be._ Ezra thought to himself. The whispers started to protest but Ezra didn't give them the chance. He pulled his arm away from the kid and stepped back.

"Get out of here." Ezra said.

"R-Really?" The boy asked.

"Yeah," Ezra nodded. "I don't want to see you again and trust me when I say you don't want to see me again either." The boy quickly muttered thank you and frantically ran away into the forest not bothering to even look for his blaster or take his mask back.

Ezra looked down at the mask in his hand and decided it was worth keeping. He wasn't sure how big the bounty on him was but that was the first time anybody had tried to collect and he doubted it would be the last. It wouldn't hurt to at least try to conceal his identity.

He donned the mask and then jumped back over the wall into the alleyway. He carefully made his way back onto the streets and once again was on track and heading to his contact.

Within a few minutes he was at the outskirts of town, an abandoned old nightclub was his destination. He went around the back, away from prying eyes, and found a broken window to climb through into what appeared to be an office.

Once inside he took off his mask and walked through the office into a long hallway and found his way to the main room.

Upon entering the main room of the building he looked around and took in his surroundings. A stage up at the front and above it, a balcony overlooking the main floor.

"Ezra, my boy!" A familiar deep voice echoed throughout the large hall. Ezra turned back to the stage to see Hondo Ohnaka walking with his usual swagger and bravado as he extended his arms outwards.

"Hondo," Ezra said walking towards the Weequay. "It's good to see you."

"And you as well of course!" Hondo said as he sat at the edge of the stage. "Come sit, have a drink with me." He said as he pulled a flask from his belt and took a large swig. Ezra waved off the offer and sat down next to Hondo.

"You thinking of starting your own club?" Ezra asked looking around at the abandoned building taking in the strange industrial yet elegant design to it.

"Hah! No no no" Hondo said. "You know there is only one life for me my friend. The pirates life! You know you would always be welcome in my crew, oh the things you and I could accomplish together!"

"Maybe another time, Hondo." Ezra said with a flat tone indicating he wasn't in the mood to chat.

"So…" Hondo said putting his flask away and handing Ezra a datapad. "...the location of this Maul's distribution center on Nar Shadaa."

"How did you get this anyways?" Ezra asked as he looked at the data and the map.

"Hondo Ohnaka has his ways, my boy." Hondo said with a chuckle as he patted Ezra on the back. Ezra raised an eyebrow sardonically knowing that the pirate was not nearly as smooth or tactful as he claimed.

"I was at the cantina and overheard a small little crew of Rodians planning on robbing it." Hondo said with a shrug. "So I got them drunk and stole all of their things including this datapad."

Ezra nodded his head, the new answer sounding much more like Hondo.

"Now of course, we are good friends…" Hondo said. Ezra rolled his eyes knowing exactly where the self-proclaimed pirate was going. "...But even good friends must pay each other for services rendered."

"I'm going to take all of the spice I find in that warehouse. I'll leave half of it in a dead drop for you." Ezra said. Hondo's eyes went wide with excitement. Ezra knew that wasn't an offer that Hondo could refuse. If the warehouse was even a quarter stocked with the illicit drug, it would still amount to a large fortune.

"And what of the other half? Surely somebody such as yourself has no interest in peddling such nasty drugs." Hondo said to Ezra.

"It has medicinal values." Ezra said. "There's a lot of research companies that would pay plenty of money for it on the black market."

Hondo laughed jovially and slapped Ezra on the back. "My boy, you are becoming a true entrepreneur like myself!"

Ezra stood up and put the Datapad in his bag.

"I'll contact you with the coordinates for the dead drop." Ezra nodded to Hondo.

"Do not take to long!" Hondo said laughing as Ezra walked away leaving the drunk pirate alone.

* * *

Sabine walked out of the dark cantina into the bright sunlight of Sakiya. She put her helmet back on and was grateful for the cool climate-controlled air that accompanied it.

She hadn't seen any signs of Ezra yet and nobody in the bar had seen him either. People had however, seen the other person she was looking for. Hondo Ohnaka, according to one of the regulars at the cantina, the pirate was holed up in some abandoned club, that same regular also told her that she wasn't the first person to ask either.

Tracking the pirate down to the planet of Sakiya was easy enough for somebody with Sabine's skillset and she knew that Hondo would be the first person Ezra would go to for info. Nobody knew the underworld better than Hondo Ohnaka and both Sabine and Ezra knew that.

Sabine walked along the side of the street being careful not to draw too much attention to herself and constantly watching for an ambush. She quickly made her way to the club knowing that it was likely that whoever had asked about Hondo before her was probably already there.

She knew Hondo well enough that whoever was asking wasn't a friend. That meant she needed to hurry if she was going to get the info she needed from the pirate. Upon the club coming into sight, Sabine immediately jogged towards the front doors which were surprisingly wooden and on hinges. She pressed her hand on one of the doors and it immediately gave way and opened.

 _Unlocked._ Sabine realized as the door opened, revealing exactly why the door was in its current state. Two Rodians stood with their backs to her as they looked up at the balcony above them at who she quickly recognized to be Hondo Ohnaka being held by his legs over the balcony by two other Rodians.

Sabine sighed in frustration at the turn of events.

 _Why does it always have to get complicated?_ She unholstered her right pistol and activated her jetpack and vambrace while the distracted Rodians interrogated Hondo.

"I have no idea what you are talking about! I have never seen you in my life!" Hondo yelled. Hondo turned his head as Sabine started walking towards them.

"You!" Hondo yelled as he saw Sabine.

 _Damnit._

All the Rodians turned to face her. The two on the ground floor both raising blaster pistols at her.

"Save me and I will pay you!" Hondo yelled frantically waving his arms. Sabine quickly fired her blaster from the hip at the two Rodians aiming at her then rolled to the side. Her blaster hit one in the arm but he managed to keep firing at her.

One of the Rodians holding Hondo let go of his leg and pulled his own weapon out. Sabine cursed and activated her jetpack dodging a salvo of fire from the Rodians as Hondo's leg slipped from his captor and he began to fall.

Sabine aimed and fired her repulsor at the two Rodians on the upper floor as she rocketed towards the flailing pirate. The shockwave spread out over the distance and hit them both knocking them backwards right as she barrelled into Hondo grabbing him with both arms and crashed down onto the floor.

She rolled over Hondo and landed on her feet turning just in time to see the Rodians on the first floor adjusting their aim at her again. She jumped between Hondo and them and activated the energy shield on her vambrace. As soon as the blue energy of the shield appeared in front of her four blaster bolts hit it making it glow yellow from the impact it absorbed. She raised her pistol over the shield and fired as she charged the two Rodians.

She rapidly squeezed the trigger and the blaster bolts fired out, hitting the wounded Rodian squarely in the chest and killing him. The second one adjusted his aim and fired at her legs. One of the shots hit her shin guard making her stumble and grit her teeth in pain but she held her charge. She fired back but missed and he returned fire, a lucky shot hit her pistol sending it flying out of her hands. She heard more blasters begin to fire and saw them coming from behind her and landing in front of her as she ran, telling her that the two Rodians above her were back on their feet.

With a few final lunges forward she jumped and knocked the pistol out of the man's hand with her shield. As he stumbled backward she planted her hand on his chest and vaulted over his shoulder and promptly wrapped her arm around his neck as she landed on her feet.

She raised up her arm and activated the blasters on her vambraces. She carefully took aim at the two Rodians that arrogantly stood side by side and fired once. The twin barrels fired at the same time and both shots hit their respective targets. The sheer firepower of the blaster was so strong that they both instantly collapsed to the ground.

The final Rodian struggled in her arm trying to break free. Without hesitation she brought her hand up to his chin and the other to the back of his head and twisted. With a sickening crack, his body went limp in her arms. Sabine respectfully laid him down on the ground in a strange juxtaposition to her previous acts of violence.

She looked around to make sure there was nobody else then looked down at the Rodian who's neck she had broken.

 _I'm sorry._ She silently said to the Rodian and all the others. Killing had never really bothered her, but after what she saw happen to Lothal, so many innocent lives lost in the blink of an eye. Killing people who weren't with the Empire felt different. There was no doubt in her mind that these Rodians were criminals but it wasn't the same, they were just people with questionable careers.

She had to believe that what somebody had done in their life or did for a living didn't truly define who they were, for her own sake.

A scuffle of feet pulled Sabine away from her distraction. She finally looked up from the dead Rodian to see Hondo getting to his feet and trying to run. Sabine sighed and aimed her vambrace at the running man's legs. She activated the grapple line which sprung out and went straight between Hondo's moving legs. The line tangled around his legs making him trip over himself and fall flat on his face.

He groaned and tried pushing himself back up as Sabine walked towards him.

"My, you are a magnificent fighter!" Hondo said as he stopped struggling. Sabine rolled her eyes as the pirate quickly turned from fleeing to trying to win her favor in a matter of seconds. "I do not believe we have had the pleasure of meeting. How would you like a place on my crew?" Sabine stepped closer to him as he began to talk faster and faster growing more nervous as she knelt down in front of him. "Oh we could accomplish marvelous things together with my brains and your skills."

Sabine pulled her helmet off revealing her face. "We've already met, unfortunately." She said sardonically.

"Ah! Sabine Wren!" Hondo yelled in delight. "If I had known it was the magnificent Mandalorian artist who had come to save me I would not have run. Please, untie me so we may have a drink together." Hondo plead.

"Sure." Sabine said. "After you tell me where Ezra is." Hondo froze in place.

"What? He is not with you?" Hondo feigned ignorance.

"Hondo…" Sabine unsheathed a very sharp narrow knife from her boot, the black metal shined in the strange lighting of the building. "...I want you to think very hard before answering." Hondo tried leaning back as Sabine slowly pressed the knife against his neck. "Are you willing to die for Ezra?" She stared coldly into his eyes, shutting off every single emotion in her brain the way she had been taught to do when in combat. She revealed nothing while Hondo remained silent for only a short moment.

Much to her surprise, he leaned forward and held his head high exposing his neck. "There is nothing I would not do for that boy." Sabine hesitated at that moment, surprised by the uncharacteristic amount of bravery and loyalty in the pirate. She along with everybody else who knew him, had always thought he was just using Ezra for his abilities.

 _Maybe I underestimated him._ Sabine realized the error of her ways and sheathed her knife while Hondo gave a heavy sigh of relief. As she untied him she reasoned with him.

"He's not safe alone, you have to realize that." Sabine said.

"Yes, I have seen the bounty." Hondo said holding his hand up to his chin. "But I promised him I would not tell anybody where he went unless I was offered a sizeable sum. And what am I if not a man of honor?"

"You're a smuggler, Hondo. You have no honor." Sabine said.

"A pirate!" Hondo said raising a finger at her which she eyed in offense. Hondo quickly realized his mistake and put the finger down. "Smugglers are merely glorified tax evaders. I am a pirate. There is a difference."

"Uh-huh." Sabine said. "Well how about this. I'll give you an extra fifty percent of whatever Ezra is paying you with, I'll keep Ezra safe, and I won't cut off any of your fingers." She said crossing her arms and putting on a fake smile.

"Deal." Hondo instantly said extending his hand. Sabine apprehensively shook the pirates hand.

"Now where is he." Sabine demanded.

"Oh, right. He left for Nar Shadaa an hour ago. Here are the coordinates." Hondo said as he pulled a data cylinder from a pouch on the inside of his boot. Sabine grabbed the cylinder and immediately turned to leave cursing under her breath as she did.

Nar Shadaa was the second worst possible place in the galaxy that Ezra could have gone. It was the galactic hub of smuggling, piracy, and bounty hunters. Every single person there would try and collect as soon as they recognized Ezra.

Which was all the more reason for her to hurry.

* * *

Sabine shuffled through the crowds of Nar Shadaa trying to get to the coordinates Hondo had given her. She hated this moon more than any other place in the galaxy and the crowds full of pickpockets and muggers were only part of the reason. She had to land her ship nearly four levels down due to the amount of ships present which had slowed her down significantly.

Eventually she made her way out of a narrow street and into a larger courtyard where people were all gathered and looking at a hologram table at the center. She quickly recognized it as a bounty board and job board, something she had frequented plenty when her and Ketsu were bounty hunters.

She walked towards it and through the crowds to look at the screen. The largest bounties and freshest bounties were currently scrolling through. Kanan, Hera, Zeb, Rex, herself, and finally Ezra with his astoundingly large bounty.

Sabine quickly downloaded the information to avoid looking suspicious then walked away towards her destination. As she walked out of the plaza and into another narrow street she heard somebody screaming and somebody yelling. Following the noise around a corner and into an alley she saw two scraggly looking men holding a man against a wall with a knife to his throat while a third was struggling with a little girl and trying to pull something from her clutched hand.

"Hey!" Sabine yelled. The three men all turned toward her and looked at her wide eyed. She was in full armor and they barely had on full sets of clothes.

Sabine raised her vambrace at them as the twin blasters activated ready to fire. The men all held their hands up in surrender.

"Leave. Now." Sabine ordered. The three men all quickly turned on their heels and sprinted down the alley into the darkness.

"Are you okay?" The man said to the little girl as he collapsed to his knees and hugged her. She nodded in response then looked to Sabine and smiled.

"Thank you." The little girl said emphatically.

Sabine finally saw what was clutched in the girls hands. A handful of credits.

"Where did you get all that?" Sabine asked pointing at the credits. The girl instinctively clutched her hand to her chest and backed into her father.

"I tried to steal from a man but he caught me and then gave them to me." The girl said. Sabine cocked her head to the side thrown off by the statement. There was no reason for the girl to lie, stealing was practically common law on Nar Shadaa.

But charity was not. Sabine knew from experience the Emperor himself would visit this place before somebody gave that much money away here.

"What did he look like?" Sabine asked to confirm her growing suspicions. There was only one person in the galaxy who would give away that much money to a pickpocket.

"He was wearing a mask." The girl said shrugging.

"Was he wearing armor?" Sabine asked. "With a phoenix on the chest and an orange stripe like this?" She traced her hand from the upper center of her chest to the middle side.

The bright eyed girl nodded.

Sabine smiled at the confirmation of her theory.

"Where was he?" Sabine asked. The girl pointed off to her left.

"Landing pad 739." She answered.

 _Leave it to Ezra to be able to bring some light to such a dark place._ She said in admiration as she said thank you and turned around. She stopped dead in her tracks as a figure turned around the corner facing her.

 _Kriff._ Sabine cursed as she recognized the woman. Mandalorians were particularly good at recognizing each other in full armor which meant this woman recognized her too.

"Good to see you, Wren." The woman said, her voice was as cold and icy as Sabine remembered it.

"Wish I could say the same for you, Xi." Sabine responded as the woman stepped towards her. Sabine held her ground against the bounty hunter.

"It's been a while. All of us at Black Sun thought you were dead." Xi said while Sabine uneasily prepared for a fight.

"I'm pretty hard to kill." Sabine responded coldly, she knew Xi was a force to be reckoned with. One of the most dangerous bounty hunters in the galaxy as a matter of fact, but that wasn't enough to get her to hide her animosity towards the woman.

"I know, you didn't die last time I tried." Xi said. "You really messed up my record, Wren." She said with a tsk.

"What can I say?" Sabine asked rhetorically with a shrug. "You really pissed me off when you decided to kill me instead of recruit me to Black Sun."

"Oh are you still upset about that?" Xi asked. "I was just following orders."

"Following money you mean." Sabine retorted.

"I'm a bounty hunter. Money and orders are one in the same." Xi said playfully. "And there is a very big order out on your head."

"So what are you going to do?" Sabine asked.

"Nothing yet." Xi shrugged. "I've grown bored of easy bounties so consider this a professional courtesy." She stepped towards Sabine and looked down at her from her towering height.

"You have a day before I start hunting you down." Sabine considered the possibility of trying to end it right there but knew it probably wouldn't go in her favor. If two Mandalorians got into a fight, it would draw a lot of unwanted attention and the entire planet would be after her. So instead she bit her tongue and didn't say or do anything.

Xi turned away and left her alone in the alley. Sabine groaned in frustration and silently cursed Ezra for all the trouble he had already indirectly gotten her into.

 _It's never easy with you, Bridger._

* * *

Ezra pushed the lightsaber even closer to the neck of Maul's apprentice. The blue skin sizzled and burned in the heat making the man grimace and groan as he desperately tried to pull his head and neck away to no avail. He held his eyes shut and clenched his jaw, refusing to speak.

Ezra raised his hand and pressed the palm against the man's temple. He felt the whispers from the holocron encourage him, but not to use a mind trick. Ezra complied with the request and extended himself in the force with the intent of using something new he had learned.

The Chiss clenched his jaw harder and tears welled up beneath his eyelids as Ezra used a brute force approach to getting what he wanted. The man eventually couldn't withstand the pain anymore and began screaming, his blood red eyes shot wide open with agony. The whispers encouraged Ezra to go further and he did, the apprentice deserved all of the pain he could offer.

Ezra found himself beginning to smirk as the man tried to talk. He stuttered and fumbled over his words, unable to speak with so much pain. Ezra let up for a brief moment while the man panted for breath and began to speak.

"I won't tell you anything!" The apprentice yelled, in a strange moment of agility, his hands wrapped around Ezra's on his lightsaber and pulled toward him. The lightsaber instantly cut through the man's throat. Ezra stepped back in shock as the Chiss fell to the ground clutching at his neck, his blood red eyes slowly losing their life as they stared up at him defiantly.

Ezra watched in horror as the apprentice eventually stopped writhing and died.

 _He was weak._ The whispers said. Ezra shook his head and tried to push the whispers back.

 _He was brave._ Ezra argued as he knelt down in front of the Chiss. As much as he hated everything the man stood for, who he followed, what he did, he still felt bad.

"I'm sorry." Ezra whispered as he closed the dead man's eyes. "You didn't deserve to go out like that."

Ezra sighed and hung his head shamefully as he stood up. He had lost control, he let the holocron control him. If he had tried something different, not been so violent then maybe he could have gotten what he needed.

Deciding there was nothing he could do about it now he put away his lightsaber and walked towards the warehouse where everything had been loaded onto the cargo speeder. He checked a few of the crates first and confirmed they were indeed all loaded with spice as he had suspected. Ezra suspected that it was likely enough to fill one of the cargo holds on the ship.

He checked the rest of the warehouse to see if he could find any information but found nothing. He cursed silently and got in the speeder to bring it back to the ship.

 _Back to square one._

He carefully piloted the speeder back to the ship and parked directly in front of the loading ramp. The whispers constantly tried reaching out to him, the Holocron vibrating and pulsing in the pouch on his belt but he pushed the whispers back and ignored them. He stepped out and walked to the back where he detached the cargo attachment from the speeder and activated the repulsor lift on it. He pushed the load of spice up the loading ramp closing it behind him as he entered the ship then brought the drugs into one of the cargo bays.

With the press of a button, the repulsor lift was deactivated and the cargo fell the few inches onto the ground with a heavy thud. He heard another thud behind him, acting on instinct he turned and drew his lightsaber just in time to feel a prick in his neck. He grabbed at the pain and pulled out a dart just as he began to lose all sensation in his body.

"What the-" He began to say but he lost the ability to speak. His legs gave way and he collapsed to the floor. As much as he willed his body to move, he couldn't. The sound of boots on metal came closer to him and eventually a black pair of boots came into view. Something he couldn't feel pushed him onto his back so he could finally see who had done this to him. A black helmet came into view with a familiar white symbol painted on it.

 _Fulcrum?_ Ezra tried to say but could only think the words. He saw hands go up to the helmet and pull it off revealing Sabine with dark brown hair and a very angry look on her face.

"Hey _Di'kut._ " She said shaking her head as she pulled another dart out from her belt. "I'd say I'm sorry about this but I'm really not." Ezra watched as she jabbed the dart into his shoulder and for a short moment he was grateful for his paralysis. Within moments he felt the effects of the second dart.

 _Tranquilizer._ Ezra realized as his vision began to fade to black. Knowing better than to try and resist he went with the flow and within seconds was asleep.

* * *

Ezra groaned in agony as he began to come to. His head felt like it was going to split open. He tried to move his hands to rub his forehead but quickly found them to be binded. He opened his eyes to see his hands held together with stun cuffs as well as his ankles. He was sitting at the table in the crew lounge of the ship and Sabine was sitting across from him.

"Good morning." Sabine said coldly, her hands folded over each other on the table between them. Ezra instantly tried to break free of his bindings. "I wouldn't do that." Sabine warned.

"Why not?" Ezra growled as Sabine stared directly into his eyes refusing to avert her gaze.

"Any more struggle than you are currently giving and the cuffs will shock you into unconsciousness." Sabine explained. "So please, Ezra, don't try."

"How did you find me so fast?" Ezra asked, sighing and relaxing his body as he shook his head in frustration.

"Because I was a bounty hunter, remember?" Sabine asked rhetorically. "And because I know you, Ezra." She said softly, her golden eyes losing their harsh demeanor as they met with Ezra's eyes.

"What do you want?" Ezra asked.

"I want you to stop being a complete idiot who thinks he can save the galaxy all by himself." Sabine said.

"That's not what I'm doing." Ezra mumbled.

"Then what are you doing, Ezra?" Sabine sighed in exasperation.

"I'm ending it all." Ezra shrugged. "I'm taking responsibility for my mistakes and putting an end to Maul once and for all before he can hurt anybody else I care about."

"You mean you're running." Sabine corrected.

"I'm not running!" Ezra spat in anger.

"Yes you are! You're running away from everybody who loves you, cares about you, and wants to help you because you are afraid!" She grabbed something from next to her on the bench and slammed the holocron down onto the table. "And you're using this because you think it will make you stronger!"

Sabine stood up from her seat as tears began to well in her eyes. "The Ezra I know would never resort to that!" She yelled pointing at the holocron on the table. "He would never run! I know that he is still in there somewhere and I refuse to give up on that!"

"Why does it matter so much?!" Ezra yelled back after growing tired of being lectured.

"Because I love you, you dumbass!" Sabine yelled waving her arms. Ezra's mind took a short moment to process what Sabine had just said, his heart fluttered and his head felt light at hearing her say those words. Words he had been wishing to hear from her ever since he met her.

"You-" Ezra began to stutter.

"Yeah, Ezra!" Sabine said as she shook her head in disbelief. "That's why I won't give up on you. That's why it matters to me that you don't go get yourself killed in some dumb grand gesture." She started to lower her voice as she ran her hand through her hair and sighed. Ezra still could barely believe what she had said.

"You're everything to me, Ezra." She said looking at him with such pain in her eyes that all he wanted to do was hug her. It was pain that he caused though, he cursed at himself silently for being so stupid. The last thing he would ever want to do was hurt Sabine.

"That's why I'm not going to bring you home." Sabine said after a brief moment. She knelt down in front of Ezra and undid the cuffs on his ankles then the ones on his arms. He rubbed his wrists to get the blood flowing again then looked up at Sabine with a confused expression.

"You're letting me go?" He asked.

"Not a chance, Bridger." She said sarcastically. "I'm going with you. I know you'll find a way to escape or just try this again so at least this way I can make sure you'll be smart about it." She grabbed the Holocron from the table.

"But this, is done for." she said throwing it across the room. "As soon as we find a way to destroy it we're getting rid of it for good."

"Fine." Ezra agreed, the holocron had taught him and given him more power in only a few days than he had ever thought imaginable. But it was evil, he didn't want to think of the things it would have coaxed him into doing, of the thing it would have turned him into.

He stood up in front of Sabine and she finally smiled at him. It was only a small smirk but it was enough to help Ezra's resolve. It was the first moment of happiness he had felt in what like years.

"So…" Ezra began to say. "...you love me?" He asked. "Even after all this?"

Sabine's smile grew as her cheeks began to flush with red making Ezra's heart begin to flutter even more.

"Always have." She said teasingly. Her hands wrapped around Ezra's neck as she leaned forward. "Always will." Ezra leaned in the rest of the way and kissed her. Wrapping his hands around her back he pulled her closer as the two continued to kiss. It was just as electric as the first time and felt even more right now that they had at least finally told each other how they felt. Sabine pulled away and grabbed his hand, her eyes alive with energy that made Ezra never want to stop. She turned around still holding his hand and led him out of the lounge and towards the crew quarters. He happily obliged realizing her intentions and followed her.

Ezra knew then that no matter what happened they were both right where they belonged.

* * *

 _Ezra could see nothing but open space. Stars and nebulas surrounded him as he searched for something. He didn't know what he was looking for though. All he knew was that his life depended on it._

" _Osmilia." A familiar voice said to Ezra. He turned his head to look for the voice. Instead, all he saw was a planet. A large, white, snow covered planet with nothing but massive mountains._

" _Come to us." The voice said again as if it came from the very planet itself._

" _What? I don't understand!" Ezra yelled as the planet and the stars surrounding him quickly began to fade. He struggled to try and move towards it but nothing happened._

" _Ezra?" Another voice said. He felt something shaking him as the voice called his name again._

Ezra jolted as his eyes opened and he awoke. Instead of stars he saw two wide golden eyes looking down at him.

"You alright?" Sabine asked, her voice laced with concern. She leaned over him with her hand on his chest. "You looked like you were having a nightmare."

Ezra sighed and laid his head back into the pillow. "Yeah." He said pushing the strange dream into the back of his mind and simply enjoying the company and touch of Sabine. "I'm alright."

"Good." Sabine said patting him on the chest and kissing him on the lips. She jumped out of the bed and quickly pulled on her body glove. "Because we've got some work to do."

As much as Ezra wanted to stay in bed with Sabine and let all of his worries go, he knew that wasn't an option for either of them. He got out of bed as well and began to get dressed.

"Nar Shadaa was a dead end. Where do we even start?" Ezra asked.

"I've got some ideas." Sabine smiled as she pulled on her boots. "Meet me in the cockpit." She said leaving her upper body armor and helmet in the room as she left.

Ezra finished getting dressed and left the room. He walked towards the cockpit, the door slid open revealing a stunning sight through the viewport. Sabine had evidently moved the ship after knocking him out on Nar Shadaa.

A bright beautiful orange sun shined through the viewport basking the cockpit in warm light. Ezra walked in and sat down in the co-pilot seat next to Sabine who was entering some data into the nav computer and prepping the ship for jump.

The sun illuminated her skin and eyes as she carefully made the calculations for a jump, her brow was furrowed, showing just how concentrated she was and only making her more beautiful in Ezra's eyes.

She was perfect. Everything felt right to Ezra again, he was right where he needed to be. As Sabine finished entering the data and the ship entered hyperspace, Ezra's fantasy of a normal life with her didn't seem all that ridiculous.

* * *

 **Well here is the twice edited version of this chapter. Anyways Ezra and Sabine finally happening! Thank you to all the shippers who remained patient for all this time! Also before anybody asks about that moment of Sabine and Ezra going towards the crew quarters and then waking up naked. You can imagine what happened however way you want. I was vague about it so that if you wanted to assume they had sex then you could or if you wanted to assume they just played a game of cards and went to bed early then you can do that too! Anyways thanks for reading and as always please review!**


	21. Telling the Truth

_Last Chapter on Phantoms of the Past: Ezra used the Sith holocron and went on the hunt for Maul on his own. Using her bounty hunting skills, help from Ketsu, and her knowledge of Ezra, Sabine quickly found him and finally told him how she felt about him._

Chapter 20: Telling the Truth

* * *

Sabine waited impatiently in the cockpit of the ship running diagnostics to try and pass the time. They were currently investigating their fifth lead on another backwater planet. Ezra was scouting out a rumored spice mine only a few kilometers away while Sabine waited to pick him up if things got out of hand. So far everything was quiet on the mountainous planet. The only thing she heard was the occasional rock falling off of the cliffside that she was vertically parked on and hitting the front of the ship.

The proximity alarm beeped prompting Sabine to quickly look at the instrument to see six incoming starfighters, she quickly read off their ID codes recognizing them as Imperial.

"Damnit." She cursed as the ships began to head straight towards her. With the ship powered down and the amount of fog there was, it was unlikely they knew she was there but that didn't make the situation any better. They were there for a reason. The only other thing that Sabine knew of in the area was the spice mines and more importantly Ezra.

She activated her comms and pinged Ezra wondering what trouble he possibly could have stirred up.

"Sabine!" Ezra yelled into the comms, she heard blaster fire and explosions in the background as well as what sounded like a low rumble.

"Any idea why you have six TIE fighters coming straight at you?" Sabine asked as two TIE bombers accompanied by four fighters flew overhead. "Scratch that, two TIE bombers and four fighters?" She added sardonically as she hit a few switches powering up the ship and prepared for takeoff.

"Yeah-" She heard the sound of Ezra's lightsaber cutting through something as he tried to speak. "-Was wondering when they were gonna show up."

"Well I'm sure there is a very good reason for you not giving me a warning!" Sabine quipped impatiently as she gunned the engines and the ship sped straight off of the mountain side and into the sky.

"There is! Later though, mountains coming down." Ezra responded as the rumbling grew louders in his comms.

"Wait the what?" Sabine asked incredulously as she lowered the altitude and weaved between the mountain peaks towards Ezra's location.

"Yep! Going to need a pickup fast!" Ezra replied far too casually. Sabine growled and cursed at the situation but took it as it was without getting mad at Ezra. Whatever he did, she was confident she probably would have done the same thing and as much as she wanted him to be safe, life or death situations were a daily reality for them and there was no avoiding that.

Sabine checked Ezra's tracker and adjusted her altitude again, lowering to match his height as she narrowly dodged a falling boulder that was nearly the size of the ship.

 _What the hell did he do?_ Sabine thought to herself noticing she was still over a kilometer away and she could visibly see the mountains shaking. Her radar alerted her to the proximity of the Imperial ships just as she turned into a narrow valley revealing the spice mine that was built halfway up a massive mountain. Sabine's eyes widened as she realized how absolutely absurd the sight was. Unlike an ordinary spice miner, whoever was running this one was strip mining the entire mountain from the middle, nearly half of the middle section was almost entirely barren having been cut into and mined. All that was left was machinery and small support structures although those were hardly intact anymore. She could see blaster fire and explosions accompanying the massive landslide on the man-made mesa as she closed. The TIE bombers sped above and ahead of her, launching their ion torpedoes into the already crumbling mountainside. The TIE fighters picked her up on the radar and immediately broke off to try and get behind her.

"How am I supposed to land in that?!" Sabine yelled over the comms as massive chunks of mountain rained down on Ezra's location.

"You're not!" Ezra yelled back over the comms. "Fly along the edge of the landing, I'll jump!"

Sabine didn't even bother asking what he planned on doing after that, considering that she now had four TIE fighters on her tail. She knew he hadn't planned that far ahead but it was the only solution she saw as well. She sent the ship into a nose dive narrowly avoiding a strafing run from one of the TIE's then spun into a barrel roll to dodge two homing missiles from another.

As she came closer to the landing she could finally see Ezra sprinting ahead of her, he moved as fast as he could along the ledge away from her. She clenched her jaw as she carefully inched the ship closer and closer to the ledge. The ship lurched in protest as a TIE fighter got a hit on the rear deflectors. She cursed again and checked the shields. Luckily they were still holding at well over seventy percent.

As she neared Ezra she yelled into the comms. "Jump!" Without looking, he jumped as far as he could off of the ledge and disappeared from the viewport above her just as she felt another hit from a TIE fighter.

"Ez?!" Sabine asked for confirmation he was alright.

"I'm on, go!" He yelled. She sighed in relief and accelerated and angled the ship up to regain some altitude as two more shots from the TIE fighters flew by ahead of her.

"Let me know once you're inside so I can try and lose them." Sabine ordered. She heard Ezra say something back but couldn't make it out through all the wind on his side.

"Hurry up!" Sabine yelled as she lightly yawed the ship to try and dodge an oncoming fighter. She wasn't able to get out of it's line of fire in time and the shields dropped down to only twenty percent.

She frantically rerouted the auxiliary power and life support to shields boosting them back up to forty percent just as she heard a heavy metal clang and then Ezra over the comms. "I'm in."

"Good, now get on the gun." Sabine replied as she immediately took evasive maneuvers diving into a barrel roll. She heard something fall in the back of the ship.

"Ow!" Ezra yelled. "I'm not strapped in yet!" Sabine ignored the protest and continued as she was avoiding the blaster fire and diving further and further to the ground until she could make out the colors of the birds fleeing their nests in the trees below them. She took the ship lower, so low that she could feel the bottom of the hull hitting the tips of the trees. It was a dangerous tactic but it would keep the TIE's from attacking from below and would keep the ship off of their radar.

Sabine cursed as the ship hit a slightly taller tree and swung off course. She readjusted and lowered the ship back down again regardless of how dangerous the tactic was. She wasn't half as good of a pilot as Hera which meant she needed all of the help she could get.

Two large black dots caught Sabine's attention at the end of the valley, flying adjacent to them and aiming directly at the large cliff.

"Ezra, tell me you're on the guns!" She said as she recognized those distant black dots as the two TIE bombers. They were going to bring the mountain range down on top of them forcing them to either get crushed or pull up and engage in a dogfight.

"I'm on 'em!" Ezra replied.

"Two TIE bombers at bearing 045, take them down!" Sabine ordered.

"Copy!" Ezra answered. She saw the red blur of twin cannon fire erupt from overhead and soar towards the two TIE bombers. Ezra led too far though and the shots missed their targets. Ezra fired three more times, each shot becoming more and more accurate until one of the blaster bolts hit the wing of the first bomber. The bomber soared out of control rapidly spinning like a top and veering off into it's counterpart that tried to take countermeasures too late.

"Nice shot!" Sabine complimented Ezra as two of the TIE fighters came around into the bottom of the ravine in front of them. They immediately opened fire. Sabine pulled the ship up and rolled off to the side just narrowly missing the ground as she fired the forward cannons hitting one of the TIE fighters dead center. The starfighter erupted into fire and crashed down into the ground while the other sped by.

She heard Ezra's guns firing as the ship passed by then heard another explosion.

"Got it! I'm getting pretty good at this!" Ezra yelled.

"Yeah yeah, don't get cocky." Sabine replied sarcastically smirking at his elation. "Just keep those two others TIE's off of our back. I'm going to get us out of here before reinforcements arrive."

She pushed the ship to it's limit giving it as much speed as possible and dove back as low to the ground as possible as they broke out of the ravine into a large open plain. She deftly worked the power controls and rerouted power from the forward shields into the engines. She hoped that it would give the ship it needed to outrun the TIE's. An unlikely outcome but she recalled some of the technicians back on Atollon clocking the ship as faster than the Ghost so it was at least possible.

"C'mon girl." Sabine said patting the console as she began making calculations for a hyperspace jump. It didn't need to be far, just enough to get them to the edge of the system at most.

"They're gaining on us!" Ezra warned her, the sound of the quad-laser turret firing in the background.

"Almost got it!" Sabine replied as the calculations finished. She immediately grabbed the handle for the hyperdrive and pushed it forward. The ship slowed for a brief second as space distorted around them and the familiar blue light formed in front of them. Within an instant the ship then lurched forward into hyperspace.

Sabine collapsed back into her chair and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. The beautiful sight of hyperspace held her attention for a few minutes while she calmed down. As her heart rate slowed she realized how tired she was. Sleep had become scarce in the past few days for multiple reasons. With a big stretch, Sabine let out a yawn and began to try and think of where they would go next considering that this most recent lead was a bust. She heard footsteps and the cockpit door opened. Ezra sat down in the co-pilot seat next to her and looked at her with a worried look.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Just tired." Sabine mumbled as she began to check the instruments to make sure nothing was wrong with the ship. "So what the hell happened down there?" She asked.

Ezra let out his own sigh and ran his hand through his hair as a look of frustration overtook his face. Sabine felt for him truly, but wasn't sure what she could do to help other than being there for him. Relationships were something that she had never even considered, now she was spending every waking and sleeping moment with Ezra. To say it was a difficult transition was an understatement. She didn't know what to do or what to even talk about and she certainly didn't know how to talk about her feelings. The only comfort she had was knowing that she wasn't alone and that Ezra was having just as much trouble as her.

"Dead end. Turns out the Empire was investigating the mine as well. They had an undercover agent there who made me when I tried to blend in." He shrugged. "Guess I don't look like a spice miner." He smiled.

"Too many teeth for a spice miner." Sabine said with a smile.

"Knew I should have pulled some out before I went in." Ezra jested. "Once he started asking me questions, he recognized who I was. That's when I figured out he was an Imperial agent because he didn't even mention the bounty and he called for backup. So I had to make a quick escape, some miners figured out what was going on so they started going after me and well you know the rest."

"So it wasn't Maul's mine?" Sabine asked.

"Nope." Ezra said. "Wasn't the right type of spice and even if it was his, it isn't anymore."

"Damn." Sabine cursed under her breath. They had no more leads, they had called in every favor they could and still had found nothing solid on Maul. He and his entire operation seemed to not even exist.

They hadn't tried everything yet though, Sabine realized. She perked up at her new idea and immediately checked the navigation computer to see if they could make it to the new destination with the current fuel they had.

"What's up?" Ezra asked curiously.

"We still have our half of the spice." Sabine said distractedly while trying to calculate the most fuel efficient jump, they were dangerously low on fuel and credits but after this they would hopefully have a lead and some money.

"And?" Ezra asked.

"Well you said you were planning on selling it." Sabine said. "There's a guild of information brokers on New Cov. It's also a prominent hub for the black market because it's on the Corellian Run." Sabine said with a wide smile as the calculations came back. They would just be able to make the jump. She turned and looked to Ezra to explain.

"We can sell the spice, then use some of the money to hire an actual information broker. If anybody will know anything on Maul or be able to point us in the right direction, it'll be them."

"Can we make it to New Cov on the fuel we have?" Ezra asked.

Sabine tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. Ezra nodded his head in realization. "You've already plotted the course." He said as his eyes softened and a smile grew across his lips. The way he looked at her with such admiration made her blush. She nodded emphatically and activated the hyperdrive pushing the ship right back into hyperspace.

"It'll be a few hours before we're there." Sabine said. "We should get some sleep." She turned to Ezra with a sigh knowing exactly where his mind had went after that recommendation. "Some actual sleep." She added.

"Hey, I agree." Ezra said raising his hands up in surrender. "I'm exhausted." He stood up and winced in pain, his hand shooting up to the back of his head.

"What's wrong?" Sabine asked.

"It's nothing." Ezra shrugged it off pulling his hand away. "Just a bruise I think." she spotted a small trickle of blood on his fingers that had just left the wound and rolled her eyes.

"Men." She sighed as she grabbed Ezra by the shoulder and began to lead him towards the lounge where they had a Med-kit.

"What?" Ezra asked as they entered the crew lounge and she led him towards the table.

"Always trying to act tough." She said as she placed both hands on his shoulders and forced him to sit down on the bench. She went to the cabinet that the Med-kit was in and brought it back to the table where she opened it to inspect the contents.

"Lean forward." She said pushing Ezra forward so she could lean in and look at the back of his head. She took off her gloves then ran her hand across the back of his head to find the swelling. He hissed in pain as her fingers found the swollen wound.

"Not so tough now, huh?" Sabine teased with a smile. She parted his hair to reveal the large bump on the back of his head, the skin was already beginning to turn purple and there was a split where a small amount of blood dripped out. She gently prodded the back of his head with her fingers. She couldn't feel any fractures in the skull which was promising.

"Am I gonna live?" Ezra asked playfully through gritted teeth.

"I don't know." Sabine said as she grabbed some disinfectant and bacta gel from the medkit. "This might be the injury that does you in, Bridger." She applied the disinfectant over the cut then the bacta gel. "How did you get this anyways?" She asked.

"When you decided to put the ship into a barrel roll before I was strapped into the gunners seat." Ezra said.

"Oh…" Sabine said pulling back. "Sorry." She added as she put down the medical supplies.

"Alright let me see your eyes." Sabine said pulling Ezra's head back as she leaned down and held her head in front of his. She placed her hand on his cheek and gently pulled the skin down to force his eyes to open wider as she looked at his pupils to see if they were dilated.

"I didn't hit my eyes." Ezra said.

"I'm checking to see if you have a concussion, _di'kut._ " Sabine said.

"...I knew that." Ezra said after a short pause as he met her eyes.

"You look fine." Sabine said as she leaned on the table facing Ezra. She gently ran her hand across his cheekbone and down to his jaw enjoying the warm feel of his skin against hers. It wasn't much but she hoped he understood that was her way of telling him how she felt about him, how glad she was that he was okay after what just happened to them. Ezra looked back at her silently and smiled. Her lips parted as she tried to say something or anything, to actually tell him how glad she was that he was okay but couldn't find the words.

"The yellow in your eyes is mostly gone now too." Sabine said to try and interrupt the silence as she admired the now fully returned pure blue of his eyes.

 _My favorite color._ She said only to herself knowing how ridiculous it would sound if she said it out loud.

"Yeah I definitely don't miss that part." Ezra said as he hung his head as if in shame.

"You miss other parts?" Sabine asked with a raised eyebrow. Ezra nodded ever so slightly.

"I still know everything I learned from it," He said. "But I can't help but wonder what else I could have learned, how much more powerful I could have become."

"I understand." Sabine said quietly as Ezra looked up at her with wide eyes.

"You do?" He asked.

"Of course." Sabine shrugged. "But you're doing the right thing by not using it. It would have destroyed you."

 _And I would have lost you._

"Ahsoka would be proud of you for turning away from it. You're doing the right thing and you don't need it." Sabine said instead. It was just as much the truth as what she was thinking but as strange as it was, it was easier for her to talk about a dead friend than her feelings.

Ezra visibly winced at hearing his late friend's name. The pain he felt was still incredibly evident even though he tried to hide it and his eyes drifted into the distance. Sabine gently squeezed his shoulder calling him back to her. His eyes lit up slightly as she gave him a light smile. Wanting to do anything to distract him from the pain she leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

She lingered for just a brief moment enjoying the contact then leaned away. His eyes immediately lightened up after the kiss. It was a distraction and Sabine knew it, but it worked.

"Come on." She said holding her hand out to Ezra as she stood up. He smiled and took her hand letting her help him up. "Let's get some rest."

* * *

Sabine walked side by side with Ezra through the densely packed city population of New Cov. The entire planet was covered in dense jungles that were completely uninhabitable. As a result, the major cities were built within massive domes with transparent ceilings that allowed for the sunlight to come through. It reminded Sabine of the city domes in Mandalore only far less militaristic and the people weren't restricted to living in the domes for the same reason.

On Mandalore, it was because her people had destroyed the environment. On New Cov, it was because they didn't want to destroy their environment. The differences in the people couldn't be any more different and it made Sabine feel like an alien even though she saw countless other mercenaries, bounty hunters, and likely smugglers moving amongst the crowd with them.

Despite the high buildings and narrow streets, the city was astonishingly beautiful. There was wildlife among the tall narrow trees that sprawled up the sides of the buildings and vibrant vertical gardens covering the walls. Wherever there wasn't a garden was artwork that all seemed to be done by different artists. She even saw a young girl on her knees painting a small mural of flowers at the base of one of the building walls. Nobody tried to stop her or even express disappointment at her actions, they just seemed to accept it or even welcome it.

The girl looked up from her work at Sabine who nodded in response knowing the girl wouldn't be able to see her smile with her helmet on.

The crowd got thicker as they made their way through the streets and towards their destination. It made Sabine anxious having so many people so close to her, she wouldn't even be able to lift her arms up above her head if she tried. It made her feel claustrophobic. The thing that made her the most anxious though wasn't how close people were to her, it was who they were. They were all normal people, living their lives, going about their days without a worry about the Empire, about Maul, about her and Ezra two of the most dangerous people in the galaxy walking amongst them.

She wondered what it was like to have that kind of normality, to be so carefree of such terrible things.

After a few more minutes, the crowd thinned as they made their way into a large plaza with a park that had sprawling gardens and trees as well as a pool in the center. Families and children played in the water splashing each other and playing games. Sabine couldn't help but smile at the beauty of how happy the people were. It brought back memories of her own childhood when things were simpler.

"Wish we could go for a swim." Sabine said playfully nudging Ezra. She couldn't see Ezra's face behind his mask but she could see the hesitation in his body before he spoke.

"Yeah…" He said. "...I can't swim."

"You what?" Sabine asked incredulously. "How have you never learned to swim?"

Ezra shrugged sheepishly. "Never got the chance to learn, not really something we do on Lothal."

 _How did I not know that about him?_ Sabine asked herself shamefully as she looked back at the park. A particular family stood out to her. A mother and father sitting at the edge of the water while a young girl and boy probably brother and sister played together. The husband and wife held each others hands and exchanged words she was too far to hear but she didn't need to hear to know that they were happy.

 _Happy with their normal lives._ Sabine looked back to Ezra who distantly waited for Sabine to lead the way. She loved him and he loved her, she knew that. But there was still so much they didn't know about each other.

 _Maybe normal is what we need._

"What's on your mind?" Ezra asked. Sabine considered not saying anything as she realized how foolish it would sound if she said it out loud.

 _Typical Mandalorian._ Sabine thought to herself shaking her head. She would rather face down the that Terentatek from Kashyyyk again than be open about her feelings. She took a deep breath and calmed her nerves.

"It's just…" She waved her hands towards the people at the park. "Have you ever thought about living a normal life together? I want that with you. I've known you for almost three years, we've been through everything together. But I still don't feel like I know you all that well. We go into life and death situations together, just hours ago you blindly jumped to land on a moving ship because you trusted me but I didn't even know you don't know how to swim."

"Well what else do you want to know about me?" Ezra asked.

"Everything…" Sabine said. "But I just want to try something normal. What do normal people even do?" She began to speak quickly as she got more nervous, she couldn't see Ezra's face which meant she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Sabine…" Ezra began to say after a moment. "I want to have a normal life more than anything. To actually get to know you and do normal things with you. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of that. But you know we can't do that. Not until we take care of Maul and the Empire."

"Now come on." Ezra said. "We don't want to draw too much attention out in the open. Somebody might notice us." He said as he held his hand out to Sabine. It was a small gesture that showed he cared and he was at least listening to her. Sabine sighed in frustration at his stubbornness and resolved to bring it up again some other time. She took his hand and enjoyed the simple touch as they walked along the plaza and towards their destination while she began to wonder how nice such a simple life would be.

* * *

After a few hours of finding the right buyer and negotiations, Sabine and Ezra had successfully managed to offload the spice and even get paid for it. Ezra was surprised with how quickly the process worked but didn't mind. The market broker had already confirmed the spice, picked it up, and paid them handsomely. Every second saved was more time they could spend looking for Maul. Not that they could do that until they knew where to look.

Sabine handed Ezra a list as they walked out of the underground black market and back onto the street level.

"Parts we need for the ship, the shields are a bit spent after that last spat." Sabine said.

"You call that a spat?" Ezra asked. "We almost died."

"Eh," Sabine shrugged. "I had it under control." she responded playfully. "I'll bring the credits back to the ship and then head to the information broker. You get everything on the list and we'll meet back up in an hour."

"Alright." Ezra responded. "Be careful."

"Always. Oh, and think of a name for the ship." Sabine said as she began to walk her separate way from Ezra. "I'm tired of just calling it the ship." She said tilting her head slightly indicating there was a playful smile under her helmet.

Ezra smiled as well and watched her walk away before looking back down at the list to see just how much work he had cut out for him. As he began to make his way towards the legal market of the city, he began to think both of his earlier discussion with Sabine and of a name for the ship.

Break

Ezra pushed a large crate along on the repulsorlift. After nearly an hour he had managed to complete Sabine's comprehensive list of supplies and parts that were needed. As he walked out of the market his comm was pinged by Sabine.

"Hey," Ezra said as he answered the comms. "I'm just leaving the market now. I'll be back at the ship in fifteen minutes."

" _About that…"_ Sabine's voice was laced with irritation as she paused.

"What's wrong?" Ezra asked with concern.

" _Somebody left a little gift for us on the ship."_ Sabine sighed. " _Seismic charge set to detonate as soon as we power up the engines. Looks like it has an anti-tampering failsafe as well."_

Ezra cursed under his breath and took a quick glance around to see if he was being followed. Somebody must have recognized them and set a trap.

"What about the credits?" Ezra asked.

" _Gone. They wouldn't leave this trap unless they wanted to draw attention to themselves though. I'm guessing they're after the bounty on our heads too."_

Ezra felt a tingling sensation along his spine that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Something wasn't right aside from the attempted sabotage.

Somebody was watching him.

"I'm being followed." Ezra said quietly as he began to move further into the crowd and back toward the ship.

" _Yeah I've got some people outside the hangar as well."_ Sabine responded.

"What do they look like?" Ezra said as he reached out and tried to find whoever was following him in the massive crowd of people. Sabine groaned in distaste before responding.

" _Black Sun mercs."_ Sabine said as if that meant the end of the galaxy as they knew it. " _Ezra I know who is following you. Her name is Xi, she's a Mandalorian and incredibly dangerous. You need to get out of there."_

"Well, can you disable the bomb?" Ezra asked impatiently as he continued looking forward so as to not draw attention to himself.

" _With an hour of uninterrupted time or the deactivation code, but we don't have that much time and I doubt they'll just give the code to us."_

Ezra shook his head and continued to look forward, walking amongst others as if nothing was wrong.

 _We have to get the code. This Xi person probably has it._ Ezra realized as a plan began to formulate in his mind.

"I've got an idea…" Ezra finally said into the comms. "...but you're not going to like it."

" _I never like any of your plans."_ Sabine replied sardonically. Ezra rolled his eyes in response.

"Can you ditch your tail?" Ezra asked.

" _Give me five minutes."_ Sabine answered almost immediately. Ezra walked to the edge of the crowded street and leaned against the crate, checking the time occasionally and making it look like he was waiting for somebody. As the minutes passed, he carefully scanned his surroundings until he found his target. A black Mandalorian helmet thirty yards down the street on the other side. It's owner leaned against the wall with two others next to her who she seemed to be talking to and doing a very good job of looking like she wasn't watching Ezra.

" _Alright, lost them."_ Sabine said after a few minutes. " _I fail to see how this solves anything though."_

"This is the part you're not going to like." Ezra said as he watched the two mercs and Xi check their comms, likely their comrades reporting they had lost Sabine. Ezra left the crate where it was and started to slowly walk in the direction of his followers. "We need that code, and we need Xi off our tails for good."

" _What are you saying?"_ Sabine asked.

"I'm saying…" Ezra answered as he bent down and dropped a tracker on the inside of his boot and then another on the inside of his belt. "That I have two trackers on me, they'll likely only find one. You track me wherever they take me and we end this."

" _No!"_ Sabine immediately began to protest. " _Ez, she could kill you!"_

"She won't." Ezra responded. "Not when she knows I'm the only way to get to you as well."

" _That doesn't make it any better!"_ Sabine pled, her voice cracking as she tried to convince Ezra of the folly of his plan. " _She'll torture you and I may not be able to get there in time."_ Ezra knew she was right but he didn't listen and he didn't care, he continued walking down the street until he was only a few feet away from them and then broke into a sprint. He heard them quickly give chase after him, he slid on his heel and turned into an alleyway and ran as fast as he could.

"I'll be fine. It'll be just like what we did on Kashyyyk." Ezra said as he ran and turned another corner and then pressed himself up against the wall and waited as the footsteps of his pursuers grew louder. "I trust you, Sabine." He said more quietly and softly. "I know you'll get me out in time, just trust me to do this."

He heard Sabine sigh in frustration before replying. "I trust you too." She said just as softly. He smiled at the sentiment and appreciated her willingness to give him some comfort before he idiotically threw himself into danger.

He put his comm-link in his pocket just as the first merc rounded the corner with gun raised. Ezra reached out with his cybernetic arm and grabbed the barrel of the blaster pistol with his palm covering the end. The man squeezed the trigger and the blaster fired point blank at Ezra's palm.

Ezra screamed in pain as the blaster bolt burned through his glove and into the metal hand, the synthesized pain was quick to fade giving him enough clarity to rip the gun from the man's hand then smash it back into his face. The grip of the pistol hit the man's nose with a sickening crack, blood showered out of his face as he staggered back into the opposing wall. The second merc and Xi came around the corner at the same time with guns raised.

Quickly grabbing the stolen blaster pistol with his other hand, Ezra charged the other merc. He batted the mercs blaster to the side as he barrelled into the man with all of his weight. As the merc's back hit the wall, Ezra pressed the blaster pistol against the man's chest and squeezed the trigger twice. He watched as the man's eyes went wide in pain then blank with shock at his sudden change of fortune.

Ezra felt another danger coming but didn't do anything about it. It was part of his plan to get captured after all. He felt a blunt object hit the back of his head, the sheer force made him step back as his vision went blurry and he lost his balance. He didn't even need to feign a loss, he quickly teeter tottered as the world spun around him and fell to the ground. His vision went black and soon, so did the dizziness.

* * *

Ezra woke up to a stinging pain on his face. He cursed and groaned as he opened his eyes to see the armored Mandalorian in front of him with a few other mercs watching. One of them was the man whose nose Ezra had broken.

He quickly blinked his eyes to try and adjust to the dark setting of the room they were in. His head felt like it had been split open and his ears started to ring again. If he didn't have a concussion earlier, he was sure that he had one now.

"Where am I?" Ezra asked groggily.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" The man with the broken nose said with a scowl.

 _He does not look happy._ Ezra thought to himself as the human's face contorted into an ugly grimace with caked blood still on his nose. Slowly, Ezra took in his surroundings and his situation. The first thing he noticed was that he couldn't feel his arm, he looked down to see the cybernetic arm had been removed and was sitting across the room on a table with what appeared to be a series of surgical and mechanical tools. His arm and legs were both strapped to the chair and there was also a thick metal wire tied around his torso. He wasn't sure what it was but it looked to have a purpose other than keeping him strapped to the chair.

"Where's Wren?" The Mandalorian asked. Her voice was as cold as ice and sent a shiver down Ezra's spine.

"Who?" Ezra asked as he began to remember his plan. Xi sighed and looked to the man with the broken nose and nodded. The man grinned menacingly as he pulled up a small remote.

"What's that?" Ezra asked sarcastically, he needed to stall as much as he could but he also truthfully had no idea what the device was, though he could guess it was nothing good.

"You'll see." The man smiled as he pressed the button.

Ezra's entire body instantly lit up in pain as electricity shot from the wire around his chest. He screamed in pain and shut his eyes as his body convulsed and instinctively tried to escape the pain. The more he struggled the more it hurt though. After what felt like an hour but was probably only seconds, the assault of electricity stopped and the wire stopped whirring with power. Ezra panted as his body went limp from exhaustion and agony. His vision blurred again and his throat burned just as much as every tendon, muscle, and bone in his body.

"Don't play games with me, Bridger." Xi said. Her boots came into view as she stepped toward Ezra. He felt her hand grab the hair on the back of his neck and yank it back so he looked at her. She leaned down so her helmeted face was almost directly in front of his, so close that he could see her cold narrow eyes through the visor. He saw nothing but hate and even enjoyment in her eyes.

She brought her hand up to hit Ezra again and when he didn't flinch she pulled it back even further before backhanding him and knocking his head to the side. Ezra hissed in pain again as a copper taste filled his mouth and the warm sensation of blood trickled across his tongue and cheek. He spit the blood out onto the floor before pulling his head back up to face Xi again.

"We know you're working with Wren. Give her up and we'll kill you before we turn you over to the Empire." Xi said. "If you give us the location of Syndulla, Orrelios, and Jarrus too, I'll even make it a quick death."

"You must not know much about me if you think I'll flip on any of them." Ezra said. "Or anybody for that matter."

"I know you're an upjumped street urchin who joined that pathetic rebellion because you were too weak to succeed under the Empire." Xi jabbed at him.

Ezra raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Not half wrong actually. What else do you know about me, oh wise oracle?" He jested and faked a smile through bloody teeth. He clenched his jaw as he saw the man raise the remote again. Xi held her hand up to the man indicating that he wait. Ezra inwardly sighed, thankful that he wouldn't have to go through that again just yet.

"I know your weakness is Wren and I know that you will give her up." Xi said as she turned around and went back to the table. She carefully eyed the tools while Ezra readied himself for whatever was coming next.

"Half wrong on that one." Ezra said as Xi picked up a disturbingly large syringe full of a clear liquid. "You're not very good at this."

"Keep trying to stall, Bridger." Xi said as she turned around and walked toward him with the syringe. "We'll see how quickly you give up Wren and everybody else after some of this."

Ezra leaned back into his chair as Xi came forward and pressed the needle against his neck. He clenched his jaw as he felt the familiar prickling pain of the needle breaking skin and then the fluid being injected. Within seconds he felt the pain in his body fade as well as all of the tension. He became slightly dizzy and his head swayed as his jaw loosened and he felt a strange sudden urge to say everything on his mind.

 _Truth serum._ Ezra recognized the effects as Ahsoka had taught him to do. She had spent weeks drilling him on the effects of different drugs used for torture and interrogation. Luckily, she had also taught him how to fight back against the effects.

As clear as he could remember Sabine's smile, he heard Ahsoka's voice replaying in his head. The calm clear voice sounding like a melody in his head that calmed his soul, that made him feel like she had all of the answers.

 _You'll want to tell the truth. It will psychologically hurt you try and lie and it will get harder the more you do it. So don't lie. Just don't tell them the truth they're asking for._ Ezra took a deep breath and let it out as he recited Ahsoka's words in his mind. He wished she was still there with him. She would have had a much better idea than to get captured and tortured.

"Where's Wren?" Xi asked, her voice sounded strange and echoed in Ezra's head. One of the other side effects Ahsoka had explained to him was that everything would feel strange and possibly even seem funny.

Ezra chuckled at both the strange sensation running through his body and the irony of the question. A question to which he truly didn't know the answer anyways.

"No clue." He said. Telling the truth felt good and made him smirk blissfully while Xi seemed to grimace in annoyance. "Didn't ask. She didn't tell."

"Where's the rest of your crew?" Xi asked, her voice growing impatient.

 _Damnit. I know that one._ Ezra quickly began to think of other aspects of his crew.

"Which one?" Ezra asked painfully to try and buy himself some time.

"Syndulla." Xi demanded.

"Hera." Ezra smiled at the thought of the Ghost's captain. He pictured her in his mind, the look in her eyes when she took him out on top of the Ghost and showed him the stars. He recalled that memory fondly, he truly felt at peace and not alone every time he remembered it.

"She has green eyes." Ezra said smiling again as his brain relaxed and the strange pain faded. He keeled over in pain as Xi punched him in the gut.

"Where is she?!" Xi demanded as Ezra coughed and tried to keep himself from puking. Xi grabbed him by the back of the neck and yanked his head back up.

The pain grew more significant in Ezra's head. The name Atollon was right on the tip of his tongue. He clenched his jaw and held back and replayed Xi's question in his head.

He grinned mischievously as he realized how easy it was to answer the question.

"You're right here." He said laughing. "Why would you ask about yourself in the third person?"

Xi looked back to the man with the remote and nodded. He grinned and pressed the button on the remote again making Ezra scream and convulse in pain as blue electric light shot from the wire and into his body.

He struggled so hard to break free that he knocked the chair over and fell onto his side, his cheek pressed against the cool permacrete floor as the shocking finally stopped again. Xi grabbed him under the arms and yanked him back up so the chair was upright again then punched him in the face again.

"I really hate that!" Ezra yelled at the man who shocked him.

"Tell us where Wren is and I'll stop." The man said with a shrug before smiling even wider. "Maybe."

For the first time since waking up, Ezra felt something in the force. A familiar feeling that was impossible for him not to recognize.

"Sabine." Ezra barely whispered upon recognizing how close she was. He only needed to hold out for a few more minutes.

"Where is Sabine Wren?" Xi asked.

Ezra groaned as the pain began to grow in his head again and shook his head. After a brief moment he successfully fought off the urge to tell the truth then looked straight up at Xi and smiled.

"My name is Ezra Bridger." He said defiantly.

"My parents are Mira and Ephraim Bridger. I am from Capital City on Lothal. I'm eighteen years old. I don't know how to swim." He began listing things off quicker and quicker to fight the urge to tell the truth they wanted to hear. He kept going even as Xi nodded to the merc again who happily pressed the button again and again.

* * *

Sabine cursed out loud as another wild animal scurried between her feet and into the thick foliage. How Xi and the mercs managed to get Ezra through the thick foliage of the jungle was beyond her considering she was having trouble getting through it by herself.

"Damnit, Ezra." She cursed at him in frustration and thought of all of the things she was going to lecture him on once they got out of this. "Stupid plan." She said again. In reality, she knew it would be difficult to be mad at him once all was said and done, she would just be thankful that he was alive. If he was even still alive.

 _He's still alive. He has to be._ Sabine said to herself to reassure herself then focused more on how angry she was at him. It was easier to be mad than to worry about whether or not he was even alive. She could handle being upset with Ezra, but if he died, she knew exactly how hard it would be for her to handle. Especially considering now that she had to keep her promise to Ahsoka.

She had to keep Ezra safe in the war to come. Whatever war that meant.

It had been nearly an hour since she lost contact with Ezra, though thankfully one of his trackers was still active and she was close. Only a few hundred meters to be precise.

The jungle became slightly less dense as she neared Ezra's location. The sound of running water could be heard in the same direction and grew louder and louder until it was almost deafening.

Sabine pushed her way through another thicket of undergrowth revealing the closest thing to a clearing she had seen since entering the jungle. She stood at the edge of a wide river with a massive ugly structure built across it right where the river turned into a waterfall that appeared to go a few hundred yards down before stopping.

Sabine ducked down behind a tree as she saw somebody walk out onto the roof and look around. Sabine pulled down the rangefinder on her helmet to get a closer look at the structure. It looked to be abandoned, an old hydroelectric dam. The person on top of the structure was looking in the opposite direction, a Bothan from what she could tell. There was also a small shuttle parked on the roof next to him.

 _Well that would explain how they got out here so fast. Now I just need to figure out a way in._

She double checked Ezra's tracker and confirmed he was inside the building. A haunting scream echoed through the building interrupting her planning. Her eyes narrowed in anger and her heart rate picked up as she recognized just who was screaming.

 _Damnit Ezra!_ She cursed again as she began to think of all the ways she wanted to kill Xi for whatever it was she was doing to him. Deciding there wasn't any time for caution, Sabine immediately ran from behind her cover and towards the structure. She sprinted at full speed towards the nearest wall ignoring the closest door knowing it was likely booby trapped or guarded on the inside. She activated her jetpack while still moving. Her feet lifted on the ground and she carefully guided herself up and onto the roof. The Merc turned around just as her boots landed on the floor.

The Bothan frantically raised his blaster rifle but was too slow. Sabine held her momentum from the landing and charged. She jumped towards him extending her leg, her boot planted firmly on his chest and knocked him back over the railing. He screamed and flailed as he fell down to the metal floor below, his screaming silenced by the impact.

Not bothering to check if he was dead or alive, Sabine turned around and went to the only door on the roof. Naturally, it was locked. Though she wasn't in the mood for trying to hack through the interface. Instead she activated the plasma cutter she had installed on her vambraces. She held her hand up towards the mechanism and activated the cutters. The bright burning blue plasma shot out instantly melting away the old weak metal of the door and cut through the lock within a few short seconds.

Sabine pulled the door open and stepped inside just as another haunting scream echoed upwards through the stairs. Her feet carried her down the stairs as quickly as possible, she didn't worry about making noise, all she could hear and think of was how much pain Ezra was in.

She unholstered her pistol and grabbed a flashbang grenade from her belt as she came down into a dark hallway just as the screaming stopped.

 _Where are you, Ezra?_ She frantically looked up and down the hallway with no indication of which way to go until she heard somebody rapidly speaking, almost yelling in fact.

Sabine instantly turned in the direction it came from and began to creep down the hallway towards the door. As she came closer she recognized the voice, it was strained and hoarse but there was no mistaking Ezra's voice.

Sabine thanked whatever higher powers there were that he was still alright. She backed up against the wall next to the door and sighed in frustration at seeing the door was locked. She knelt down next to the interface with a computer spike and plugged it into the control interface. The plasma cutter would have been faster, but she needed the element of surprise considering she didn't know who else was in there with Ezra.

"Tell me where Wren is! Now!" Xi yelled, Sabine could her the bounty hunter's voice cracking with anger and impatience. "We know you're working with her, tell us where she is!"

"There's so much you don't know about me." Ezra laughed.

 _What could he possibly be laughing at?_ Sabine wondered as she furrowed her brow and tried to focus on getting the door open.

"You think you have everything you need to know about me all from the bounty the Empire put out." Ezra said as his voice lowered and grew angrier.

"Why don't you enlighten us then?" Another person in the room said.

"I'm more than just some street rat rebel from Lothal." Ezra said as his voice grew even deeper and louder and began to shake with rage. Sabine finished unlocking the door just as Ezra began to yell. "And Sabine Wren is right here."

Sabine opened the door and rolled the flashbang into the room then ducked into cover. Her visor and helmet shielded her from the effects of the bright deafening detonation that exploded from the room. As soon as the light faded Sabine turned into the room and raised her pistol at the first person she saw, Xi.

* * *

Ezra clenched his eyes shut and coughed as his body screamed at him. His throat was on fire and it felt like he had drank battery acid. He opened his eyes to look back up at his captors as he began to shake, not from pain or exhaustion but from rage.

He only needed to hold on for a few more moments, he could feel how close Sabine was now. Which meant he could finally let loose some of his pent up anger from being tortured.

He looked across the room back at his arm and noticed his weapons next to it. His blaster pistol and more notably, his lightsaber. They hadn't mentioned it, they likely didn't even know what it was. Seeing as they hadn't drugged him to suppress his abilities either.

 _They have no idea what I really am._ Ezra began to smile as his mind started to imagine the looks on their faces when they realized their mistake.

"You think you have everything you need to know about me all from the bounty the Empire put out." He growled as he looked from Xi to the merc with the broken nose.

 _You're first._ Ezra felt the angry fire in his chest grow. He started to take deep breaths, ignoring how much his lungs protested.

"Why don't you enlighten us then?" The merc asked antagonistically only fueling Ezra's impatience and anger.

Ezra extended the fingers on his hand making it look like he was just stretching them or trying to break free. He reached out in the force and focused on his lightsaber on the table.

The lightsaber quickly complied to his will, slowly spinning on the table as he readied himself.

"I'm more than just some street rat rebel from Lothal." Ezra said as he buried his mind deeper into the force. He felt the warning in the force just in time, the urge to tell the truth was too much to fight off while also focusing on his lightsaber, thankfully it didn't matter anymore so he finally told Xi what she wanted to know so badly. "And Sabine Wren is right here."

The door to the room slid open and a grenade rolled in. Ezra closed his eyes right before it detonated. The bright light shined through his eyelids and the astoundingly loud detonation deafened him leaving only a ringing in his ears.

 _Now!_ Ezra called the lightsaber to his hand and within only a short moment, felt the familiar shape in his palm. He opened his eyes as the bright light faded to see Sabine firing her pistol at Xi as she charged in. Ezra quickly spun the lightsaber in his hand and activated it. The green light instantly cut through the binding on his wrist, it burned the skin making him wince in pain but it was nothing compared to everything else he had been through.

Xi charged towards Sabine and knocked her pistol aside then threw her against the wall. The two engaged in a brutally efficient hand to hand combat while Ezra desperately tried to hurry up but was too dizzy to work any faster.

The Merc stumbled against the corner and pulled out his pistol as Ezra cut the wire across his chest then the two on his ankles. He stood up and immediately fell to his knees.

He heard a pistol being unholstered and looked up just in time to see the merc raising his pistol in Ezra's direction. Relying on the force, Ezra swung his lightsaber in front of him just in time to block the blaster bolt.

"Hey!" Sabine yelled as it landed only a few inches away from her head.

"Sorry!" Ezra yelled as he rolled out of the way of the Merc shooting at him again. At the end of his roll Ezra stood back up to his feet swaying slightly as he tried to keep his balance. He extended his hand out to the merc pulling the blaster pistol with the force. The man's eyes widened in shock and fear as Ezra walked towards him.

"Want to know something else about me?" Ezra asked through gritted teeth. His body seemed to act of its own accord as the anger started to take control of him. He wanted revenge and he was going to have it.

Without thinking or even focusing on the force he pulled the panicked merc straight towards him and held his lightsaber out pointed at the man. The man gasped in shock and pain as the lightsaber penetrated his chest and Ezra looked him coldly in the eyes.

"I can kill you with my mind." Ezra said truthfully as he deactivated the lightsaber and let the man fall to the ground to die. It was only then that the anger began to fade and Ezra actually regained control of himself.

He looked down at the man in horror as the life began to fade from the mercs eyes. Ezra's mouth opened in shock not believing he had just killed somebody so brutally and enjoyed it.

 _This isn't who I am._ Ezra said to himself in horror.

"Ezra!" Sabine yelled, pulling him out of his strange stupor. "A little help?" Ezra looked back to Sabine and Xi to see them still fighting both grappling with each other and trying to get the upper hand. Sabine brought a knee into Xi's stomach then pushed the bounty hunter away as she pulled out her knife and attacked again. Ezra activated his lightsaber and stepped forward as Xi dodged one of Sabine's blows then raised a hand at him, he recognized the vambraces she wore as similar to Sabine's.

 _That's not good._ Was the only thought he managed to have before he saw the shockwave shoot from the vambrace and straight towards him. It hit Ezra in the chest like a ton of bricks and sent him flying back into the decrepit wall. The broken down wall instantly gave way to the force combined with his weight.

Everything happened so quickly, Ezra was flung out of the room and into sunlight as the noise of water grew louder and louder. He flailed helplessly to try and grab onto something to stop himself. Soon, Xi and Sabine both fell out of sight.

He turned his head to see what was below him just in time to see that he had a few hundred more meters to fall before he would hit the water at the bottom of the waterfall.

* * *

Sabine tried to push Xi's arm to the side as she fired the pulse at Ezra but was too late. It hit him full on and sent him careening through the wall and out of sight. Without thinking or even saying a word, Sabine bolted for the hole in the wall and jumped through it head first.

She held her arms tightly to her sides and tilted her body so her head was angled straight down. The waterfall was so close to her as she barrelled toward Ezra that she could feel the water droplets hitting her armor. It was only a matter of a few moments before he would hit the water which would kill even him at this high of a fall.

Her rangefinder began reading how close they were getting to the water.

 _One hundred meters._

With the simple press of a button she activated her jetpack to help her gain on him. As she neared him she extended her hand out towards him.

 _Fifty meters._

Sabine yelled to Ezra over the roaring of the waterfall and the wind. He turned just in time to see her and reached out. His fingers clasping onto hers. As soon as she felt their grip secured, she pulled up by thirty degrees. The extra weight pulled them down as the rangefinder dropped from thirty to ten and then finally to zero as the two crashed down into the water head first.

The sound around her muffled into nothingness as water flooded her helmet and Ezra's hand slipped from hers. She frantically looked for him but couldn't see anything through the murky water.

 _He can't swim!_ Sabine remembered in a panic as she tried to pull herself up through the water under the mighty current that kept pushing her down the river. Her lungs screamed in protest as she held her breath for a few more moments then tried breaking through again as the current weakened. Finally the current gave way and Sabine pushed through, the water flowed out of her helmet allowing her to take a deep breath and cough out the water she had accidentally swallowed.

"Ezra!" She yelled as her heart began to beat faster and faster. He was nowhere to be seen.

"No no no I'm not losing you to some kriffing water!" She yelled, her voice cracking in distress as the current carried her further away from the waterfall and through the dense jungle. After a few brief moments, her heart felt like it stopped and then was given a jumpstart as she saw a hand flailing in the water a little bit further downriver and closer to the edge.

Sabine pushed herself toward him kicking her legs and moving her arms as fast as she could letting her adrenaline fuel her. She briefly saw Ezra's face as he desperately tried to tread water with only one arm, after a blink of an eye he was underwater again though.

"Dammit!" Sabine cursed as she reached where he was and dove underwater reaching out with her hand. In a strange and unexpected stroke of luck, her hand found his. She kicked as hard as she could pulling him back up to the surface.

As soon as both of their heads broke through the water, Ezra began violently coughing as she wrapped her arm around his limp torso and slowly pulled them towards the edge of the river.

She felt the strength of her kicks fade as the adrenaline wore off, her heart still beating so hard in her chest that it hurt. After a few minutes of struggling against the current and with the waterfall no longer even in sight, Sabine finally brought them ashore. She stood up in the shallow water practically dragging Ezra through it as he still coughed up water.

Once out of the water completely, Sabine let go of Ezra's hand letting him collapse onto the mud on his back while he finally took deep water-free breaths. Sabine collapsed next to him not even caring about how much cleaning her armor would need. She took off her helmet and looked up at the clear sky above them as her heart finally began to calm down.

"You're so badass." Ezra wheezed.

"What?" Sabine laughed unsure of where that had come from.

"Truth serum." Ezra explained.

"Ah…" Sabine responded. "That explains a lot." She said before taking another deep breath.

Ezra winced in pain and coughed again while Sabine propped herself up on her elbow to face him.

"You alright?" She asked.

"Yeah…" Ezra smirked, his pained facial expression turning into amusement as he raised his hand at her then looked to where his left arm was supposed to be. "...I'm all right."

"I hate you." Sabine sighed as she swatted him on the chest. Ezra coughed again wincing in pain at the hit all the while still smiling at his bad joke.

"You love me." He responded playfully. The way he could be so seemingly carefree and happy after that was astounding to Sabine. It was refreshing as well, and only helped her realize again just how much she actually did love the trouble maker, regardless of how many bad decisions he made.

Sabine sighed and smiled to herself as she let him wrap his arm around her back and laid her head on his shoulder. "No, I jump off of waterfalls risking death for random strangers all the time."

The two remained silent for a moment, Sabine enjoyed the sound of the birds and the flowing water accompanied by Ezra's heartbeat, something that had become a firm and comforting reminder that he was still alive. That she wasn't alone in the universe again.

"This is nice." Sabine whispered.

"Sort of normal, right?" Ezra asked. "I mean if you ignore the whole part where I was tortured and thrown to my death."

"Yeah." Sabine chuckled. "I guess so."

"I do want a normal life, you know. To do normal things with you." Ezra said after taking another deep breath. Sabine propped herself up on her elbow again so she could see his face.

"You do?" She asked.

"I can't exactly lie right now." Ezra shrugged with a smile. He let out a deep sigh as he looked directly into Sabine's eyes. They were so sincere, so caring, and loving. It made her feel like she was the only person in the galaxy when he looked at her like that.

"I'm just scared." Ezra said. "I'm scared that if we had anything normal, it would give me something else to lose." Tears welled up in his eyes as he shook his head and looked away.

"And after losing Ahsoka, I'm not sure how much more I can handle before I just lose who I am completely."

"Hey." Sabine brought her hand up to Ezra's cheek making him look back at her. She opened her mouth to tell him how she felt but couldn't find the words again. Her inability to talk about her feelings made her wish she was on the same drugs as Ezra.

 _Come on, Sabine. Grow up._ Sabine chastised herself. She could be open with Ezra, she could be herself. It was part of why she loved him so much.

"We'll be alright." Sabine finally said. "You're not going to lose me, and neither of us are giving up on each other, ever. I know I can always count on you no matter what, and you can always count on me no matter what. So trust me, no matter what happens to us, we will make it through it." She brushed her soaking wet hair behind her ear as she leaned down and kissed Ezra on the lips, despite the strange taste of river water it was still just as calming and loving as every other time she had kissed him. She lingered for only a brief moment before pulling away and looking deeply into his eyes again. "And I won't let you lose who you are, Bridger." Ezra's pained eyes softened again as the tears started to dissipate and his lips curled upwards into a light smile.

"Now as much as I want to just stay here. We have somebody to go kill." Sabine said as she reluctantly pushed herself up onto her feet.

She held her hand out and helped Ezra up as she looked towards the dense jungle that was so thick that even the sunlight couldn't penetrate it,

leaving it in almost complete darkness.

Without warning, Ezra activated his lightsaber and stepped in front of Sabine. Four shots were fired from the dark jungle in rapid fire. Ezra easily blocked each one then reached his hand out and clenched it into a fist. The firing stopped and as Ezra pulled his fist over his shoulder a figure came flying out of the dark jungle with her hands clenched around her throat. Sabine unholstered her pistol and held it at her side.

Ezra threw Xi down into the mud, as soon as the bounty hunter turned around onto her back she raised her hand to Ezra. Sabine quickly fired from the hip hitting the vambrace and breaking it. Xi cursed in pain as Sabine stepped forward and planted her foot on Xi's chest.

"Well…" Xi said hissing in anger. "...Finish it." Sabine put as much weight as she could on Xi as she knelt down in front of the bounty hunter.

"I should make you suffer for what you did to me all those years ago." Sabine said before looking back up to Ezra. "And he should make you suffer for you just did to him."

Sabine took off her helmet and dropped it next to her then took off Xi's. She pressed the barrel of her pistol under Xi's chin. "But I'll make it quick instead." Sabine said as Xi stared up at her with eyes as cold as ice. "Consider this a professional courtesy." Sabine added mimicking Xi's overconfidence in their last conversation as she squeezed the trigger. The blaster was muffled by the close contact of the shot and Xi was instantly dead.

Sabine sighed and closed her eyes for a brief moment. As much as she hated Xi with every fiber of her body, killing like that still wasn't easy for her. She felt Ezra's hand on her shoulder and looked up to him.

"It had to be done." Ezra said calmly and knowingly. "She never would have stopped hunting us."

"Yeah…" Sabine sighed as she reached down and grabbed Xi's other vambrace. Once it was free of it's old owner, Sabine activated the device's interface and searched for what they needed. After a few moments she found the killswitch for the bombs on their ship and deactivated them.

She dropped the vambrace in the mud then turned back to Ezra and let him wrap his arm over her shoulder. She put her arm under his and helped guide him into the forest.

"By the way…" Sabine said as Ezra limped next to her. "You and I remember Kashyyyk very differently."

* * *

"Ez…" Ezra groaned in protest to being pulled away from his sleep. "Ez wake up." Sabine's voice sounded so nice in his ear that he actually wasn't sure if it was a part of his dream or not.

"Wake up, _sharal."_ He felt something hit him in the chest.

 _Definitely not the dream._ Ezra groaned again and opened his eyes to see Sabine sitting next to the bed and looking at him with wide expectant eyes.

"What's up." Ezra asked yawning.

"Aside from you sleeping for twenty hours?" Sabine asked raising an eyebrow.

"No way." Ezra said in disbelief as he slowly sat up and ran his hand through his hair.

"Yeah." Sabine said showing him the clock. "The information broker got back to us." She said with a smile. "We've got a solid lead."

"Good." Ezra said as he warily stood up to make sure his legs were functioning properly after being off of them for so long. He grabbed a shirt and pulled it over his head. "Let's get going then."

"Whoa, slow down." Sabine said placing a hand on his chest as she looked up at him. There was an excited look in her eyes, as if she knew something he didn't. "There's something else we need to do first?"

"Like what?" Ezra asked apprehensively. Sabine only smiled and grabbed his hand and walked him out of their room and towards the crew lounge.

The door to the crew lounge opened, the table was covered with what looked like painting supplies. Sabine turned around to face him with a wide nervous smile on her face.

"Something normal."

1

Ezra smiled as he realized just where Sabine was going with this.

"Just a fair warning. I'm a really bad student." Ezra said.

"I'm a bad teacher so I wouldn't worry too much." Sabine said as she walked towards the table and sat down at the bench. Ezra went and sat across from her while she cleared the area in front of her and looked down at the metal table and furrowed her brow.

Ezra couldn't help but admire how beautiful she was when she was doing something like concentrating on a blank table as she tried to figure out what to paint.

Over the next few hours, they slowly worked on the table all the while talking and asking questions about each other. With each added brushstroke and each answered question, Ezra found himself happier and happier with his company and with where they were. Their lives were far from perfect, they both knew they could die any moment. But they didn't talk about that. They didn't talk or even think about the Empire or Maul. It was the strangest experience Ezra had ever had, it felt like it was the first time he had truly experienced life since losing his parents.

Not a care to be had, only the comfort that being with Sabine brought to him.

For just a few hours, they had a normal life.

And for those hours, the future with Sabine that Ezra always dreamed of didn't seem ridiculous or impossible to reach. Because he was experiencing it right then and there.

* * *

 **I realized I'm often using Mandalorian words and swear words without defining them because Ezra understands most languages now so it's hard to actually write the meaning into the dialogue. As a result I will now be trying to consistently put in a small little definitions section at the end of chapters where these words are used.**

 **Dictionary:**

 **Kriff(ing): Vulgar expletive. Basically the Star Wars universe equivalent of "frick" which we all know if an equivalent of something else.**

 **Sharal: Mandalorian word for lazy**

 **Authors note: I'm really sorry for not updating in two weeks. I've just been crazy busy lately. I will make it up to all of you at some point with a multiple chapter update. I'm not sure when yet but I will make it happen. Thanks for being patient and I hope you enjoyed because this chapter was difficult to write.**


	22. Crashing the Party

**AN: Hey everybody, I am so so sorry for taking such a long hiatus. I had really bad writers block and absolutely no motivation. We will however be back on a weekly schedule so expect to see another chapter next Tuesday on June 5th!**

 **AN 2: This note is regarding some aspects of the fanfiction and some pieces of it that I realize would not be common Star Wars knowledge. As such I am going to just quickly explain some things so that nobody feels confused or out of the loop.**

 **Vibroswords and vibroblades- They're just swords and daggers really except they are capable of actually being able to hit lightsabers without the lightsaber cutting right through them.**

 **YT-2000 (Ezra and Sabine's ship)- It's a Corellian ship in similar design to the Millenium Falcon, if you want to get a feel for what it looks like and what the floorplan is you can just google search YT-2000 blueprint and the first few results will give you a good feel for it.**

 **Well I think that is all for this chapter! I hope you enjoy and I once again apologize for the super long hiatus!**

* * *

 **Chapter 21: Crashing the Party**

Maul crossed his hands behind his back as he proudly held his chin up high and watched the massive construction before him. After years, the restoration was almost complete and only within a few weeks would he finally be able to begin his reckoning, his return to the fold.

He would finally make the entire galaxy kneel before him as he had dreamed, and his enemies would quiver in front of him as he cut them down like the animals that he knew them to be. The heavy footsteps and familiarly hateful presence in the force alerted Maul to his most powerful apprentice.

"Master, we've received word from Captain Tallhau." Wil Kast said in his usual calm demeanor. "He successfully made it through the nebula and to our buyers and is returning back to pick up another shipment of spice."

"Good." Maul said. "Then we no longer have a need for Halho and his preposterous fees. With Tallhau making the run we will be able to double our profits and complete the restoration in only two weeks as well as double the amount of mercenaries."

"However, there is one small problem." Maul said raising his finger before Wil could agree with him. "Halho knows too much about our operation. Go and see to it that he won't tell anybody about our plans."

"As you wish, Master." Wil said before instantly leaving Maul alone again. Maul observed the construction carefully, what he had found ten years ago was merely a weak and fractured shell, an empty remnant of times past, within only a few weeks, it would be enough to obliterate even the Empire.

* * *

"Ezra…" Ezra's eyes peaked open only slightly at the sound of his name he couldn't see anything in the dark room and didn't hear anything again so he quickly chalked it up to just being in his head. His heavy eyelids almost instantly fell back to where they were and sleep started to come back to him. As tired as he was, he did want to stay awake. Whenever he slept now, it was always the same nightmares. Having Sabine with him did at least make the waking up more tolerable though.

The Mandalorian was still deep in sleep, her hand laid across his chest and her head laid on the pillow right next to his. He could feel her breath on his neck and the warmth of her body on his. It was so comforting having her so close to him that it made falling asleep that much easier as well.

"Ezra…" This time Ezra's eyes shot wide open. There was no doubt in his mind he heard the voice, now he knew it wasn't a part of his dream or Sabine. Worst of all, he recognized the voice as it said his name again.

 _Ahsoka._ Ezra's chest tightened around his beating heart as a shiver went down his spine. The air seemed to grow so cold that he was sure he would be able to see his breath if the lights were on.

Ezra gently lifted Sabine's hand off of his chest and slid out from under it before putting it back down on the bed. He grabbed the edge of the blanket and pulled it over Sabine's small body before throwing his feet over the edge of the bed onto the cold metal floor. He sat up straight and took a deep breath as he looked towards the door to the room and anxiously waited to hear his name again.

 _It's just in your head. You're exhausted._ Ezra repeated in his head for about a minute. The only sound he could hear was that of the ship and his heart, as well as the soft peaceful breathing of Sabine.

The voice didn't come again, but the sound of footsteps did. Footsteps perfectly juxtaposed against his racing heart so there was no mistaking them in his head.

Ezra sighed in frustration knowing his anxiety wouldn't go away until he confirmed there was nobody else on the ship. Whatever the noise was, even though he was just imagining it, he had to be sure or he wouldn't be able to sleep again.

He walked toward the door and opened it. The dimly lit hallway was empty, as he suspected. He let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Just as his nerves began to calm, he noticed something unusual that sent a tingle down his spine warning of danger.

The door at the end of the hallway that led to the lounge was open.

Ezra's sense of anxiety quickly washed back over him. He followed the urge to investigate and slowly walked down the hall, the noise of his feet padding along the metal floor only adding to the anxiety. He almost wished to hear his name spoken again just to break the eerie rhythmic silence. But no other sound came to his ears. Even as he reached the door and peered into the dimly lit lounge to see nobody and no sign of anybody.

Ezra quietly muttered a few curses at himself as he leaned his forehead into the doorframe and looked down at the floor and his bare feet before closing his eyes.

 _Just paranoid is all._ Ezra thought to himself.

"Good luck trying to get back to sleep now." He muttered to try and break the eerie silence again. Even though he knew he was alone, that anxiety, that strange warning that the force always gave him just wouldn't fade away. It was a feeling that had never failed him, and as Kanan and Ahsoka had taught him, it never would.

He wasn't paranoid. Something was wrong.

Ezra heard the shuffling of feet on the floor and assumed that maybe he had woken Sabine. The sound wasn't coming from their room though. Ezra opened his eyes and looked toward the noise in the lounge. The door on the opposite side of the room was open though that was hardly what caught his attention. It was the split second glimpse of an ash covered boot stepping out of the lounge and through the door into darkness.

The boot was a dark gray and tan color, one that he recognized immediately. Ezra ran across the lounge and to the door to look into the hallway but saw nothing.

The hallway was as empty and as silent as everything else on the ship.

Ezra knew what he had heard and what he had seen this time. Just as he was sure that he had heard Ahsoka calling his name, he had just seen her. His heart beat so hard and so fast, that his chest began to ache and his head grew dizzy and light. It didn't stop him from searching the entire ship over the next hour though.

He frantically exhausted himself tearing through both cargo holds, the escape pod, the cockpit, the rest of the crew quarters and even discovered a few smugglers hatches he hadn't known of.

He found nothing other than an increased sense of danger and anxiety that refused to fade.

After the long hour of searching, Ezra finally found himself back in the crew lounge. He collapsed onto the floor as he tried to fight back a panic attack. His chest heaved as his vision began to darken and the air grew thick and felt a thousand degrees hotter despite the fact that he was shivering.

He knew what he saw, he knew what he heard. He heard Ahsoka's voice, he saw her. But then she was gone.

 _She's dead, Ezra._ Ezra began repeating to himself. _She can't be here. You and Kanan both felt her fade away into the force. It's just in your head._

"It's just in your head." He whispered in a shaky breath. "It's okay."

After a few minutes, Ezra's breathing and heart rate began to calm down. But the sense of danger and anxiety didn't.

 _I can feel your fear, your worry._ Ezra heard Ahsoka's voice again, this time in his head. He smiled as he recalled the memory. Their first training session together after Kanan had left. He remembered how he tried to rebuttal that statement, to argue that he had no fear or anger or any other emotion that a jedi would deem to be wrong to have.

 _It's okay to fear, Ezra._ Ahsoka had told him. _Fear is part of what makes you who you are, it's part of what makes you alive. Even Jedi have fear, they just mustn't let it control them._ She said to him, he could remember exactly how her voice sounded to him then. It was so calm and warm. It was everything he had needed to hear then, and it still was now.

He wished more than anything that she could be there with him now, not as a teacher, but as his friend.

 _Come, sit with me._ Ahsoka said next. Find your center, Ezra, and the fear will lose its strength.

Ezra shifted onto his knees as he had on that day back on Atollon. He placed his hands on his thighs and bowed his head just as he had seen both Kanan and Ahsoka do countless times. Just taking the pose itself was calming to Ezra's nerves. He always felt closer to his two teachers after meditating together, as if he learned something new about them each time.

He slowly closed his eyes and did as he had been trained to do and did his best to calm himself and to find his center as he went deeper and deeper into his own mind. It was achingly lonely engaging in the practice himself. It felt hollow and almost seemed to echo with his presence. At the very least he was able to push out the anxiety in his heart. To assure himself that there was nothing wrong.

 _Now what?_ He asked himself as he realized how futile it would be to try and go back to sleep after what he had just gone through.

 _The vision._ Ezra quickly realized. Something that had been itching at the back of his mind since Lothal. He still hadn't been able to make any sense of the vision that the holocron had given him.

Maybe meditating on the memory and trying to make more sense of it would help, he thought to himself. At the very least it would keep his mind occupied for a good amount of time.

Deciding on his activity, Ezra breathed in deeply and slowly let it out before pushing deeper into his mind and memories with determination and vindication.

 _Twin Moons, two silhouettes stood on the horizon watching the moons rise and brighten as the stars filled the clear night sky. Ezra could feel the cool gentle wind on his neck and even hear the rustling of the tall grass. It was Lothal. He knew that much._

 _But who were they? Ezra wondered once again as he looked at the two figures and tried to walk towards them. Just like the countless other times he had meditated on this memory though, he was always too slow. The moons brightened into a blinding white light making him shield his eyes._

 _As the light brightened, the cool wind faded, the sound of grass in the wind went away and the, the air grew arid and incredibly dry. Ezra slowly opened his eyes to see the two moons replaced by two suns, and the land around him replaced by sand dunes as far as the eye could see. He saw two silhouettes once again standing on the horizon in front of the two suns. He called out to them but no words came out of his mouth._

 _He desperately began to run towards them as the world began to fade away around them. He had to know who they were. He had to know the key to destroying the Empire, to destroying the Sith. His heart beated faster and faster in his chest as the all too real heat bore down on him. His feet stumbled through the loose sand as he tried to push himself up the sand dune to no avail._

 _The unbearable heat weighed down on Ezra as his muscles began to quit on him. He collapsed down to his knees as the world began to crumble into darkness and the two figures disappeared._

Ezra opened his eyes and let out a deep shaky breath as his shoulders slumped.

"Dammit." He sighed out as he leaned back and laid on the cold metal floor. His entire body was so exhausted that he was shaking and he was covered in sweat. The cool metal touching the bare skin of his back was calming to his exhausted mind.

Closing his eyes, Ezra began to take deep methodical breaths, focusing on the rhythm to try and center himself. He breathed in and held the air in his lungs for a brief moment before slowly letting it out.

After a few moments his heart beat slowed and the cool metal floor touching his back helped lower his body temperature. Ezra slowly pushed himself up off of the floor and climbed to his feet.

He walked towards the lounge table and quickly collapsed down onto the bench with a sigh of frustration as he held his head in his hands and rubbed his temples. He had tried everything he could to try and make sense of the vision the holocron had given him back on Lothal but it was still broken and unstable. Every time he came close to finding some semblance of an answer to his question, it all collapsed. He couldn't help but be angry at it and to silently curse the situation.

Letting his hands slide down to the table, Ezra checked the time to see two more hours had passed and there was only another four hours before they would arrive at their destination.

 _So much for a good night's sleep._

Sighing again in frustration, Ezra relented and decided not to try and meditate again. If he couldn't sleep or figure out the vision, then the least he could do for himself was try and relax.

He spread his arms out and smiled as he looked across the newly painted table. It was covered with various small pieces of art and graffiti. Each small part was unique and vibrantly colorful. Ezra smiled as his thumb brushed over a piece that he and Sabine had done together. The face of a white Loth-cat. Anybody who knew either of them even slightly could tell what parts Sabine had done and what parts he had done. Half of the cats linework and shading was done expertly without a single flaw, it spoke of years of practice and elegant confidence.

The other half looked like it had been painted by a toddler. Ezra didn't mind how terrible his efforts were though, and neither had Sabine. As terrible as the cat looked, the memory of doing something normal with Sabine was enough to make him smile regardless of how tired and frustrated he was.

"Admiring your handy work?" Ezra jolted to attention to see Sabine watching him from the door as she leaned on the frame with a smile on her face. Her squinted eyes, messy hair, and choice of attire told Ezra that she had only just woken up. She wore a black tank top and her regular pants but wasn't wearing socks or any shoes.

"Admiring yours." Ezra said with a thin smile as Sabine wrapped her arms around herself.

"Can't sleep?" Sabine asked as she sat next to Ezra at the table.

Ezra shook his head in response and looked at Sabine. "What about you?"

"I..." Sabine averted her eyes and looked down at the table. "Decided to wake up early to get ready."

Ezra raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Uh-huh." He replied sarcastically.

"What?! It's the truth!" Sabine answered as she tried to hold back a shy smile.

"Since when do you wake up early? You're less of a morning person than I am." Ezra responded. Sabine started rubbing her arms to warm herself up. Ezra smiled as he realized why she really had woken up.

"You were cold without me, weren't you?" Ezra teased. Sabine's cheeks flushed in a bright red as she continued to stare at the table.

"...maybe." She said as softly as possible as if she was being publicly humiliated.

Ezra chuckled lightly and shook his head.

"Yeah yeah. Laugh it up, Bridger." Sabine said. "Even the mighty Mandalorians need warmth."

"Hey, as long as you admit it." Ezra said playfully as he nudged her with her shoulder.

"So what's your reason for being up?" Sabine asked. "Is it that nightmare again?" She asked referring to the one he had been having almost every night since Lothal. Where his parents and Ahsoka all showed him how weak and powerless he was to help or save any of them.

"Yeah…" Ezra said as he nodded. Sabine wrapped her arm around Ezra and pulled him tight to her.

"It's just a nightmare, none of it's true. You know that right?"

 _Only it's not just a nightmare anymore._ He thought to himself as the sound of Ahsoka's voice waking up played in his head again. Sabine didn't need to know about that though, she was worried about him enough as it was.

"I know." Ezra lied. As much as he didn't want to, he still blamed himself for not being able to stay and help Ahsoka fight.

"What about that other dream? The one with that planet, what was its name again?" Sabine asked.

"Osmilia." Ezra instantly repeated. The first thing they had done was search the databases and all known star maps for a planet named Osmilia, but they found nothing. "Yeah that one has been bothering me too."

"I know it's tough to try and sleep with all those questions in your head." Sabine said softly. "But you really should try and get some rest. We've got a lot of work to do when we get to Bespin."

"I know." Ezra said with a nod. Sabine's hand reached up to the side of his head and pulled it down.

"C'mon lie down." Sabine said, Ezra shifted over in the bench pulled his feet up and laid his head on Sabine's lap. She began to run her fingers through his short hair as he let his heavy eyelids close.

"You know, most people just dream about being in public and then finding out they're not wearing pants or about other strange things like that." Sabine said after a short moment of silence.

"Yeah." Ezra chuckled. "Too bad I'm not exactly normal."

"Possibly the farthest from it." Sabine said soothingly. "We both are."

Sabine continued to run her fingers through Ezra's hair as he slowly drifted away into a short but much needed sleep. It was only for a few hours but thankfully it was without the same nightmares and didn't end with Ahsoka waking him.

* * *

"Alright, we've got an hour and a half before the party starts." Ezra said.

"Gala."

"What?" Ezra asked as he turned back to Sabine while the ramp to the Wraith opened.

"It's a gala, not a party." Sabine said holding up the forged invitation.

"And what's a gala?" Ezra asked.

"It's a fancy party." Sabine shrugged.

"Right…" Ezra responded slowly unsure of why there was any differentiation if they both meant the same thing. "So I'm assuming we won't be able to show up in armor with guns and explosives."

"That's probably a safe assumption." Sabine said as the two walked down the ramp of the Wraith and onto the landing pad that was located on the edge of the main station on Bespin, it was known as Cloud City.

Now that they were there, Ezra knew where the name had come from. It was as if the entire city was simply sitting on top of the thick white clouds of the planet. The bronze dome-like structures that formed the city basked in the warm sunlight and almost glowed as if they were made of gold.

It was also one of the first planets Ezra had seen that was so wealthy and wasn't crawling with Imperials. The loading ramp to the ship closed behind them and locked as they left the hangar bay and walked into the wide streets of the city that were surprisingly empty. Only a few well dressed people were out, limiting Ezra and Sabine's chances of blending in.

Sabine led the way as the two walked alone along the side of the street out of earshot of the other pedestrians.

"You're sure going in during the party is the best idea?" Sabine asked Ezra.

"Yes." Ezra nodded. "Parties are the best time to steal something. The host is distracted, and none of the guests actually know who belongs. Besides…" Ezra held up the two fabricated invitations to the event. "...it'll be easy getting in."

"If you say so." Sabine sighed.

As easy as it was going to be to get in, Ezra knew that it would still be a difficult job given their target. Fare Halho, the current Baron Administrator of Cloud City. According to the information broker that the two had hired, Halho also ran one of the largest smuggling networks in the galaxy that was matched in size only by the Hutts. Said smuggling network had evidently been running the only source of Polstine Spice for the past three years meaning that Halho was likely the one smuggling Maul's spice.

 _All we need to do is find where the spice is coming from. Then destroy it, cut off Maul's money._ Ezra thought to himself ignoring just how difficult it would likely be to get the necessary information off of Halho. Somebody as powerful as Halho didn't get there by being foolish.

Sabine stopped walking and nodded towards a store across the street. Ezra could see mannequins wearing dresses and nice suits in the windows beside the door that had a security guard standing next to it. Likely to deter potential thefts.

"I suppose we should get some clothes to look the part of whoever the names are on our invitations." Sabine said.

"I don't know. That place looks expensive and stealing clothes was never my specialty." Ezra said as he began to case the store. "I suppose if you distracted the guard I could grab some stuff and just try and run out the back."

"Yeah, we could do that!" Sabine said humorously as she pulled a handful of credits from her pocket and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Or we could just buy them."

"Right…" Ezra said sheepishly as Sabine rolled her eyes. "...Old habits." He said with a shrug.

"It's alright, Ez." Sabine said as she nudged him on the shoulder and put the money away. "It's hard for me to wrap my head around having this much money too." She added gently as the two walked across the street and towards the store.

"I wonder what Hondo's doing with his share." Ezra said.

"Probably already lost it." Sabine said.

"Fair enough." Ezra replied with a small chuckle of his own. He truly did value the pirate as a friend, but there was no mistaking how careless the old Weequay was.

The security guard let them both through the door and into the store where both Ezra and Sabine were overwhelmed by the glamour and style of clothing. Elaborate three piece suits and long skinny dresses that seemed to serve no purpose other than to restrict the wearer's movement surrounded them. Ezra and Sabine both eyed each other nervously as an employee began to walk towards them with a smile on their face.

To say neither of them had a single clue on what they were doing was an understatement.

* * *

"Stop fidgeting." Sabine hissed at Ezra as the aircab took them through the city and towards the administrator's palace.

"This damn shirt is trying to strangle me." Ezra growled back as he tugged at the collar of the shirt. How or why anybody thought that such a tight necked shirt was practical and stylish was beyond him. The sales associate at the store had recommended the entire suit though, saying that it was made of the best material and from the best designer's newest line.

"It's supposed to be like that." Sabine said as she reached across the seat and grabbed Ezra's wrist to pull it away from his neck.

"You don't see me complaining about this abomination!" Sabine said gesturing towards the gown she was wearing. Ezra took the moment to take in the sight of Sabine wearing such an unsoldier-like arrangement. Her blue dress was sleek, slim, and satiny, plunging all the way down her back and with a slit all the way up her leg. She also wore a beautiful necklace that draped over her clavicle and fell perfectly with the v-neckline. The whole thing was very impractical for a soldier to conceal weapons of any kind. Ezra could easily see how it would be uncomfortable for Sabine. But at least she didn't have a shirt that was determined to asphyxiate her to death.

"Well it's different!" Ezra complained.

"How?" Sabine asked incredulously.

"I look like a fool in this get-up." Ezra said gesturing towards himself then looking back at Sabine's figure. "And you look…" He paused, his brain unsure of what word to even think of, his cheeks flushed as all of the words he had wanted to call her ever since meeting her seemed to dissipate from his mind. Truthfully, she looked breathtaking.

"Like an idiot?" Sabine asked.

"Perfect." Ezra let the word slip and immediately blushed as he expected Sabine to laugh at him or brush the compliment off. It was what she always did for the first few years. He would either carefully think of a good compliment to her or blurt something out and she would without fail manage to embarrass him about it.

Instead, Sabine stuttered on her own words as red flushed up her neck and through her cheeks.

"Really?" She asked as her eyes widened and she looked back down at herself and ran her hand through her jet black hair.

"Well...yeah of course." Ezra stuttered himself in joyous relief as a thin smile came across Sabine's lips. "You always do." He added lightly.

"Don't push it, Bridger." Sabine said raising an eyebrow at him. "One compliment at a time."

"Right, sorry." Ezra said as the cab landed in front of what was possibly one of the largest buildings Ezra had ever seen. Ezra pulled out the invitations from his jacket and held one out to Sabine. "And it's Mercer, not Bridger." He said with a mischievous smile before opening the door and stepping out. Multiple other cars landed around them and people filed out as a crowd of well-dressed people made their way up the grand stairs towards the main doors of the palace. Ezra spotted another man get out of the speeder next to them then turn and offer his hand to the woman he was with.

Wanting to blend in, Ezra quickly turned on his heel and offered his hand out to Sabine.

"I can stand up on my own." Sabine sighed with a roll of her eyes as she took Ezra's hand anyways and allowed him to help her out of the car.

"Just trying to blend in." Ezra said through a smile as they turned toward the palace and stairs that everybody was currently walking up.

"Never been my specialty." Sabine said apologetically.

"Trust me, I know." Ezra teased quietly as the two walked up the stairs together.

"Well a husband should know his wife." Sabine replied.

Ezra stumbled over a step and almost fell flat on his face had Sabine not caught him by the elbow.

"A what now?" He whispered harshly as people walked around them on the steps.

"I said." Sabine looked at him cautiously as she lowered her voice and grabbed her invitation card and held it up in front of Ezra. She pointed at the name on the card, Hallani Mercer, then pointed to Ezra's card which read Connluk Mercer. "A husband should know his wife."

"Oh…" Ezra said quietly as he realized Sabine was just going along with their cover. Sabine shook her head and sighed again as she wrapped her arm around Ezra's elbow and continued walking up the stairs.

"Maybe you're the one who's bad at blending in." She jested as they walked through the door and to the security checkpoint.

Instead of replying, Ezra bit his tongue and opted to stay quiet. There were too many people in earshot now as all the guests waited in line to have their invitations verified and to be checked for weapons.

Ezra quickly glanced around to get a reading on his surroundings. The palace was at the end of a wide open plaza and both sides of the building had a massive drop off of at least ten stories before there were more buildings. He could also see at least thirty well-armed security guards either at the doors or in the plaza which meant there was likely to be twice as many inside. They had assumed the administrator would have protection, but not this much.

Ezra leaned towards Sabine and whispered in her ear.

"What exactly is this party for?" Ezra asked.

"Gala." Sabine corrected him, her voice so laced with humor that he could tell just how entertaining it was for her to correct him. "It's to celebrate the start of the election process. Halho is running to be re-elected but evidently it's customary to invite the other candidates to the administrators palace the night before voting."

"Sounds like it must be tense." Ezra said as the person in front of them was called forward by the security guards leaving them next in line.

"Can't be any worse than Mandalorian political events." Sabine said with a shrug.

"Why, what are those like?" Ezra asked.

"Let's just say that sometimes the events only end when there's one person left breathing."

"Oh…" Ezra said. Every time he learned something new about Sabine's people he began to understand her more and more. This most recent lesson at least partially explained why she was always so quick to fight rather than to consider peaceful alternatives.

One of the security guards waved Ezra and Sabine forward. The two both pulled out their invitations as they stepped forward and remained quiet. The guard quickly took their invitations and scanned them. Ezra tried to ignore the anxiety in his beating heart as the device took a few seconds to validate the invitations. He would have sighed in relief if it didn't look suspicious when the guard handed them back their invitations and waved them forward through the wide doors and into a grand hallway.

Unfortunately, they weren't in yet though. Armed guards with weapons scanners were next and currently beckoning them forward. Ezra steadied his mind assuring himself there was nothing to fear, they had already gotten past proving they belong here. This part would be easy as they actually didn't have any weapons.

At least he didn't. Sabine told him that she had none either but he had learned over the years to always assume that she was always armed. A characteristic that he had grown surprisingly fond of while also being slightly discomforted by it.

Sabine stepped forward first, the guards scanned her with metal detectors and a few other devices. Ezra mentally prepared to make a quick exit in case things went sideways.

After a few short minutes and much to his relief though, the devices did not alert the guards of any weapons and they waved Sabine forward then called Ezra towards them.

Ezra stepped towards the guards and held his arms out at his sides as they ran the scanners along him. Both devices beeped and wailed in an alerting noise and lit up red ast they scanned over Ezra's left arm. One of the guards instantly placed his hand on his blaster pistol while the others took a step back and everybody in the room seemed to stop what they were doing and watch.

Sabine nervously glanced at Ezra before immediately taking in her surroundings as well, preparing for an exit just as he had done only moments earlier.

"Sir, I need you to take off your jacket." One of the guards said as he looked at Ezra's arm.

 _Damnit, of course that would set off the sensors._ Ezra immediately realized his cybernetic arm was the problem and quickly thought of just how to play it.

Ezra sighed and hung his head in shame as he unbuttoned his jacket.

"I'm so sorry." He said as he pulled off the jacket and began to roll up the sleeve on his shirt. "This new cybernetic feels so real that I keep forgetting I even have it." He revealed the black metal hand and arm to the guards so that they could all see it. Ezra quickly glanced at the guards to see if they bought it but not for too long so as to avoid suspicion. He had to make it look like a mindless mistake.

"I'm so sorry for my husband." Sabine chimed in as she realized what Ezra was doing and walked to stand next to him. "This is only the third time this month, that this has been a problem." She said as her eyes narrowed and she placed her hand on her hip. "Sometimes I wonder why I even bring him anywhere." Her voice sounded so genuinely full of venom that Ezra almost actually felt embarrassed.

The guard who had spoken quickly looked at Ezra almost apologetically.

 _Good job, Sabine._ Ezra smiled inwardly, a little bit of sympathy went a long way in situations like these and Sabine just made the guard feel plenty for Ezra.

"Apologies, but I have to ask. How'd you lose it?" The guard asked as he pulled out a smaller sensor from his pocket and moved it from Ezra's forearm to his upper arm.

"Trying to hunt a Canyon Krayt Dragon like a damned fool if you'd believe it." Sabine answered quickly and once again just as impatiently and venomously.

Ezra feigned insult and looked down at Sabine.

"It was a Greater Krayt!" He responded.

"Oh please." Sabine rolled her eyes. "If it was a Greater Krayt you would be dead and I would be much richer and much happier."

Ezra quickly reacted by narrowing his eyes and puffing up his chest. "How dare-"

"Sir, Ma'am please calm down!" The guard interrupted as he looked at Ezra then nodded at his arm. "You're clear to go in."

"Unfortunate." Sabine said before quickly walking away and down the hallway into the main room, her heels clicking so loud on the crowded marble floors that they echoed above all the other noise.

"Sorry about your arm, sir." The guard said before pausing and leaning in. "And your wife."

Ezra gave the guard a thin smile and patted him on the shoulder. "You should meet her mother." He said with a sigh before walking past the checkpoint and down the hallway. The other guests that milled about gave him dirty glances just as they probably had Sabine but he paid them no mind. They could judge his fictional relationship all they wanted.

The sound of string instruments being played grew louder and louder as Ezra exited the hallway and came into the main lobby where the party was being held. It was a two story room with grand vaulted ceilings and wide stairs that led up to a balcony that encircled the entire first floor. The music was coming from a group of musicians in the back corner by the stairs. The entire floor was covered with tables filled with food and drinks and surrounded by standing guests while the balcony was similarly populated.

Ezra took a few moments to observe the other party goers and to find Sabine. As he suspected, she was standing at the bar by the wall and waiting for a drink. Ezra carefully made his way through the crowd and pushed himself in next to her as he leaned an arm on the bar.

"Should meet her mother, huh?" Sabine said in a slightly displeased tone with a raised eyebrow. Ezra immediately regretted saying that to the guard until he saw the playful glimmer in Sabine's eyes.

"Only fair considering you think I couldn't handle a mere Canyon Krayt." Ezra responded with a shrug of his shoulders as the bartender came by and put two drinks down in front of them. Sabine thanked the man and grabbed one of the drinks then handed the other to Ezra.

"Oh I really don't think you could." Sabine laughed as she led Ezra over to a more isolated spot in the corner of the room.

"What?!" Ezra asked incredulously as Sabine casually sipped on her drink.

"They eat entire Bantha's, Ezra." She replied. "And Greater Krayts eat Canyon Krayts."

"Oh…" Ezra said in embarrassment. "I guess I didn't realize they were that big. I've never actually seen one before."

"Me neither." Sabine said. "And I hope I never do. That Terentatek on Kashyyyk was terrifying enough."

"Yeah…" Ezra said as he remembered the horrific beast that had hunted them. He had nightmares about it for weeks, about it killing Sabine.

That was the last thing he wanted to think about now, was losing Sabine. Kashyyyk had been a wake up call for him, when he realized he still loved her, even before then the thought of losing her was unbearable.

 _But now…_ Ezra thought to himself as he adoringly watched Sabine eye their surroundings. He couldn't stop admiring how beautiful she was, and how much he loved her. _If I lost her, it would be like losing everything that ever mattered to me all at once._

"So what's the plan?" Ezra asked quietly as he realized how grim his line of thinking was. They had a mission to do and Sabine was very much so alive, he had nothing to worry about.

"We need to get to Halho's office." Sabine said as she scanned the upper balcony. Ezra similarly looked for doors and exits from the main room. He found a few options, most of them were heavily guarded though.

He did notice one door that only had one guard on it though. It appeared to lead to the kitchen as multiple staff members were walking in and out with trays of food.

"There." Ezra slightly nodded toward the kitchen. "The kitchen is our way out of this room, lightly guarded and if we get spotted we can convince the staff we're just lost."

"Or they'll call security on us." Sabine remarked.

"Not when we look like upper class." Ezra explained. "They'll be more afraid of getting in trouble for reporting us. At least that's how it worked on Lothal."

"As much as I wish that weren't true, you're right." Sabine said.

"Aren't I always?" Ezra asked playfully.

"No." Sabine responded with a shake of her head. "You're wrong about fifty percent of the time, Ez."

"Those are good odds for us." Ezra responded. "Think you can get some type of distraction going so we can get past that guard?"

"Not a problem." Sabine said.

"Good, this should be easy." Ezra said as he turned to walk towards the kitchen, he instantly stopped in his tracks though and almost dropped his drink upon spotting one very significant hitch in the entire mission.

A man walked toward them with a brazen smile and such confidence and swagger that it made Ezra feel sick to his stomach. A man he had hoped to never see again.

"Well well well, if this isn't a wonderful surprise." The man said with a laugh as he opened his arms wide and approached Ezra and Sabine.

Lando Calrissian was the last person that Ezra wanted to see.

 _This is not a wonderful surprise._ Ezra almost said out loud as the smiling Lando reached his hand out to Sabine who simply raised an eyebrow at his very clear attempt to kiss her hand. Ezra and Sabine both rolled their eyes as the scoundrel laughed off his failure. "As fiery as always." He said looking at Sabine. "And even more astonishingly beautiful if you don't mind me saying."

"I do mind." Sabine replied so coldly that it sent a shiver down Ezra's spine. Both in fear of the potential danger and joy at seeing Lando's typical womanizing behavior not having it's desired effect.

"It's good to see the both of you!" Lando said loud enough so that everybody in a ten foot radius could hear.

Ezra and Sabine both desperately tried to act normal and blend in. The last thing they needed was the extra attention that Lando usually brought.

"Lando, what the hell are you doing here?" Ezra asked after the man decided to continue greeting and ogling Sabine reminding Ezra why he hated him so much.

"My my, that's no way to greet an old friend now is it?" Lando asked in feigned offense as he looked to Ezra then back to smiling at Sabine. Ezra couldn't tell if the way Lando looked at her made him want to be sick or to punch the man.

 _Maybe both._ Ezra scowled.

"Answer the question, Lando." Sabine said putting a hand on her hip and raising an eyebrow. "Last we saw you, you were starting up your little mining operation on Lothal."

"That little mining operation became my most profitable venture yet." Lando said holding up a finger as a glimmer of pride showed in his eyes. "But then I grew tired of such trivial and easy profits so I came here to Bespin."

"And by grew tired, you mean the Empire forced you out and took control of all mining operations?"

"It's all semantics really." Lando said flourishing his hands casually. "Besides, it ended up being for the better considering what ended up happening on Lothal." He said, his voice taking a surprisingly morose and empathetic tone as he looked at Ezra. "I'm very sorry to hear what happened to your home."

Ezra was so thrown off by the unexpected apology from Lando that he simply stood there dumbstruck. The combination of the memory of Lothal burning and of Lando Calrissian apologizing was too overwhelming.

 _Thank you._ Ezra thought but couldn't get the words out. He still disliked Lando but it was a step in the right direction.

"So why Bespin?" Sabine asked.

"Well isn't it obvious?" Lando asked. "I'm running for administrator in the election tomorrow." He said excitedly.

"And it's going to be a fair election?" Sabine asked. Lando quickly glanced around to make sure nobody was listening in before he leaned in and whispered.

"Not if Halho has his way. He's been winning nearly a hundred percent of the vote every single election for the past fifteen years." He said.

"And you're here to get some dirt on him." Ezra stated plainly, Lando was the type of person to always have an ulterior motive and this was the perfect time to search through Halho's personal affairs, it was why Ezra and Sabine picked this night as well.

"Not everything is business, Ezra." Lando said as he gestured towards the party going on around them. "There's fine drinks, fine food, and fine women all in one room. I wouldn't miss this even if I didn't stand to benefit greatly."

"Of course not." Ezra muttered in disdain as Lando reverted back to his charismatic and over confident self.

"So Mr. and Mrs. Mercer, I'd say it's high time we get to work. I need to figure out how Halho is cheating the system, and you need info on his smuggling network." Lando said more quietly.

"How did you know that?" Ezra asked incredulously to which Lando merely chuckled.

"Ezra, my friend…"

"Not friends." Ezra interjected. Lando ignored Ezra's statement and continued as he was.

"...I know a lot more about the affairs of the galaxy than the Empire tells people. The information broker you used to find out about Halho is also a contact of mine. Once they told me about you two, I was the one who helped them secure those invitations you used."

"Why would you help us like that?" Sabine asked.

"Because he needs our help." Ezra growled as he looked at Lando then back to Sabine. "And he doesn't have to pay us."

Sabine rolled her eyes and sighed, Ezra could see her mentally weighing their options. He knew they had no choice but to work with Lando, he hoped that Sabine would see some option that he hadn't seen though.

"Fine." Sabine finally said after a moment.

 _Damnit._ Ezra silently cursed then took a swig of his drink as if that would help with his discomfort at all. He was tired, he was uncomfortable in his outfit, being told he had to work with Lando Calrissian was about to put him over the edge.

"Here." Lando discreetly held out his hand to Sabine and Ezra, two small earpieces were in his palm. Both quickly reached in and grabbed one then put them in their ears.

"The best way to Halho's office is through the art gallery on the second floor. There's less people there and less security."

"More visibility though." Sabine said.

"We were thinking of the staff entrance there by the stairs." Ezra said.

"No, too indirect of a route and the security station is through there." Lando said.

"How would you know?" Ezra asked.

"I studied the blueprints of the building." Lando shrugged. Ezra rolled his eyes again.

 _Of course he did, why didn't I think of that?_ Ezra chastised himself for being so unprepared.

"We'll need a distraction in the art gallery then." Ezra said.

"Meet me up there in a few minutes." Lando said quietly.

"It's great to see you two again. I hope you have an excellent night, and don't forget to vote tomorrow!" Lando said a normal volume before smiling and walking away. Ezra and Sabine both carefully watched him walk up the wide stairs and off to the right before disappearing into a room.

"I don't trust him." Ezra said.

"That's just because he wants to sleep with me." Sabine said.

"Well…" Ezra blushed realizing just how transparently jealous he was. "That's not the entire reason!" He said defensively.

"It's alright." Sabine said with a chuckle as she placed her hand on his arm. "I don't trust him either, but we do need him. We're flying blind here, this is Lando's environment and he needs us as much as we need him. So just try not to kill him please?" She asked as a smirk came across her lips.

Ezra sighed and tried his best to relax. Sabine was right, as always. It helped to know that she would be with him the entire time. He loved how level headed she always was, and this was one of those times where he truly needed that from her.

"I'll try." Ezra said a little bit more relaxed than before.

"Good." Sabine said. "And besides you don't need to worry, Lando isn't really my type." She said as she placed her hand on Ezra's neck. He leaned into the warmth and felt even more tension fade away. Even in the middle of an undercover mission, surrounded by the type of people he hated most, while on the hunt for quite possibly the most evil man in the galaxy, Sabine could make him feel that he was right where he belonged.

She lifted her head up and Ezra eagerly leaned down to kiss her on the lips only briefly.

"You have a type, huh?" Ezra asked as Sabine pulled away and grabbed his hand.

"Of course," Sabine shrugged as they walked through the crowd towards the stairs. "Blue eyes are a must, caring, rebellious, a little bit hot headed but also awkward."

"Hey!" Ezra protested.

"Don't interrupt." Sabine responded quickly. "Excellent swordsman, heroic, and has to be from a planet with two moons."

"So I'm heroic?" Ezra asked proudly as they walked up the stairs.

"I never said you fit all the requirements." Sabine teased.

"Oh very funny." Ezra responded as they entered they turned and entered a large and equally grand room that was filled with rows of artistic pieces ranging from sculptures to paintings and everything in between.

"Is that a Berntar?!" Sabine exclaimed, she immediately let go of Ezra's hand and practically ran towards a black metal sculpture with very intricate paint patterns on it. Ezra sighed realizing that there appeared to be no end to how out of his comfort zone he could be. Now there was priceless art that everybody except for him understood.

Ezra slowly walked toward Sabine and stood next to her as she leaned in and closely inspected the piece.

"There's only a few Berntar pieces left. Most of them were destroyed in the first battle of Christophsis in the Clone Wars." Sabine said excitedly.

The metal was so thin that it was practically a bendable sheet, it narrowed and widened as it wound around and intertwined with other pieces making a strange almost circular frame. The paint was incredibly vibrant and colorful but seemed to just be a collection of shapes that circled around on the metal.

"Look closer at the paintings." Sabine said as if knowing that Ezra didn't understand their significance. Ezra happily obliged and leaned in. As his eyes came closer, he noticed that the paint patterns were far from just random shapes. They were all small incredibly detailed designs of buildings, symbols, people, and animals, and there were thousands of them all in a wild but somehow organized fashion. As if they were lines in a text.

"The paintings tell a story." Sabine said.

"These remind me of your work." Ezra said as he spotted a painting of a cat that looked eerily similar to a Loth-Cat Sabine once painted.

"Yeah." Sabine said. "My father studied Berntar extensively, it was the first artist he taught me about as a child." Her voice and gaze both grew distant as if she was looking deep into the past, remembering something she had long forgotten, she seemed happy though, a look that Ezra truly cherished.

"I've never heard you never talk about your dad." Ezra remarked upon realizing he couldn't recall a single time that Sabine had mentioned her father which was strange considering just mentioning him seemed to make her happy.

"It's not something I like to talk about." Sabine said as the look of joy faded away. "Come on," She said suddenly and almost without emotion. "Let's find Lando."

Ezra was curious and wanted to learn more about Sabine's father. He wanted to know everything there was to know about her but he knew better than to press the issue. If Sabine didn't want to talk about something, it wasn't talked about.

They walked down the row of sculptures, each one stranger than the last until they came to the last one of the row which Lando happened to be admiring.

Much to his own surprise, Ezra immediately recognized the piece, something he had never expected to happen. It was a gray permacrete block with bright colors most notably orange and purple all arranged in fantastic and fiery ways that depicted a very abstract Starbird.

The artist of course, was standing right next to him. He looked from the piece and to Sabine who stared at it wide eyed while Lando watched them both with an amused look.

"Looks like Miss Wren's work is becoming famous in the art collecting world." Lando said playfully.

"I hate that piece." Sabine said as she stepped forward clenching her jaw.

"What?!" Ezra asked incredulously.

"My-" Sabine started to say but caught herself. "Wren's work isn't meant to be in a private collection or bought and sold for that matter. Its purpose is for all people to see, what good is a Starbird, the symbol of hope to all, if not all can see it?" Sabine said through nearly clenched teeth. "And it was her first time she had painted a Starbird, and she hates it and wishes it was destroyed."

"Where's the door?" Sabine asked, clearly not wanting anything to do with her piece of work anymore.

Lando casually nodded towards a narrow door a few meters down on the opposite wall. He pulled a device out of a pocket and handed it to Sabine. "This scramble key should do the trick, I understand you're a bit of a slicer."

"I am." Sabine said.

"Good." Lando responded. "You can unlock the door and you and I will make our way to Halhos office from there.

"Wait, what about me?" Ezra asked.

"We need you to make the distraction, kid." Lando said.

"Why can't you?" Ezra asked.

"Because I need to make sure you two uphold your end of the bargain." Lando said. Sabine looked at Ezra and simply shrugged.

"I'll be fine."

"Alright, go." Ezra said. "Keep in touch on the comms." Sabine and Lando both turned away and walked towards the door while Ezra took in his surroundings and tried to figure out what would draw the most attention without making the security try to kill him.

There were three security guards walking along the art and at least two dozen guests in the room.

 _Can't attack anybody, can't steal anything, I can break something though._ Ezra looked at all of the art trying to decide which one was the cheapest. After a brief moment, an idea dawned on him. To him it was the most priceless piece in the entire room but it would be worth it.

Ezra couldn't help but smirk as activated his comms. "Distraction coming up in three seconds."

He walked up to Sabine's work noting how narrow the base of the tall art was. He turned on his heel crossed his arms and leaned back into it. He pushed a little with his legs but it didn't take much for the thin block to begin leaning. To sell his mistake, Ezra went down with it and even yelled as the art crashed onto the floor and cracked into a dozen pieces and he fell down on top of it.

He coughed as dust filled his lungs and purposely struggled to try and push himself up off of the ground.

"Get him!" He heard somebody yell as a series of footsteps pounded on the floor towards him. He immediately felt two sets of hands grab him by the shoulders and yank him up onto his feet.

"Whoa!" Ezra protested as he let his knees buckle and his head wobble. "You guys are strong." He laughed. "You need better walls here. I was just looking for a place to rest." He said slurring his words as much as possible.

"He's drunk." One of the guards holding Ezra said.

"Should we throw him out?" the other guard holding him asked.

"No." A large Cathar guard said as he walked up in front of Ezra and grabbed him by the chin forcing him to make eye contact. "That was the administrators favorite piece, he'll want to have words with his idiot. Bring him into the study there and wait while I go get Halho and somebody to clean this mess up." He said pointing at a door opposite where Sabine and Lando were currently trying to bypass the lock.

"Ooh, I get to meet the administrator?!" Ezra asked excitedly. The Cathar sighed in disgust at Ezra as the guards forcefully dragged him toward the room. Ezra tilted his head to look behind him just in time to see Sabine and Lando stepping through the now open door which closed behind them.

" _Remind me to kiss you for that next time I see you."_ Sabine said into the comms. Ezra smiled once again as the guards dragged him through into the study and closed the door behind them.

* * *

Sabine followed Lando down the winding white hallways of the palace which were thankfully empty for the most part. However, her outfit was making the job much harder than she anticipated, her dress was far too tight around her hips and made keeping up with Lando incredibly frustrating.

Lando held up his hand and leaned back against the corner of a wall before slightly peaking his head around the corner.

"There's two guards on the door to Halho's office." Lando whispered as he leaned back.

"Well, what's the plan?" Sabine asked.

"They weren't supposed to be there." Lando whispered.

"Let me see." Sabine said so that she could at least size up the guards in case it came to a fight.

 _Hopefully not._ She thought to herself as she silently wished for a pair of pants and boots instead of her current attire. Lando moved aside and waved his hands at his old spot for Sabine to take.

Sabine leaned against the wall as well but lost balance on her slightly heeled shoe.

"Damnit." Sabine whispered as the straps on the shoe broke with a snap that echoed through the empty hallway.

"You hear that?" She heard one of the guards say from around the corner. Lando turned and looked at her with wide and very annoyed eyes.

"I'll take care of it." Sabine sighed apologetically as she stepped out of her broken shoe leaned down and took off her other one then picked them both up. She heard the footsteps of the guards as they approached the corner while she came up with a plan. Lando anxiously waved his hands at her.

"Distract them, tell them you're lost." Lando whispered. "I can't be seen back here, I'm a public figure."

"That won't work!" Sabine retorted as the guards came closer. "Damnit, fine." She said upon realizing there was no other option.

"So humiliating…" She muttered under her breath shamefully as she stepped out around the corner with her broken shoe in her hand.

"Hello there!" Sabine practically yelled at the guards as she faked a wide smile. The two human guards both looked at each other then back at Sabine before slowly taking their hands off of their sidearms.

 _Big mistake._ Sabine thought to herself. For once she was proud of her small and unthreatening figure. She looked back at the corner to see Lando had seemingly disappeared.

"My shoe broke and I tried to find some privacy where I could fix it, but I seem to have gotten lost." Sabine said in a chipper voice. "Could one of you please point me back in the direction of the party?"

"Uhh...sure." One of the guards said as he stepped within reaching distance of Sabine. He pointed down the hall where she and Lando had come from just as Sabine clenched her fist and prepared to attack. As soon as his arm was extended all the way she dropped her shoes lashed out as quickly as possible and reached for his extended wrist with her open hand.

"Wha-" The guard said as Sabine gripped onto his wrist and twisted making him scream. The scream was quickly cut short by her thrusting her fist forward and punching him in the throat. Just as she had planned, instead of reaching for his weapon, he clutched his collapsed windpipe. His partner was a different story though.

As the second guard pulled out his blaster pistol, Sabine raised her foot up to the first guard and kicked him squarely in the chest. The force of her kick sent the guard stumbling back into his now armed partner. Both of them fumbled for only a brief moment but Sabine didn't surrender her advantage. She charged forward and spun around the right side of both guards before they could recover.

As she passed the injured guard she grabbed onto his pistol while still in it's holster and pulled the trigger. As she had suspected, the blaster was set to stun and the guard instantly collapsed from the shock even though it was only to his leg. With the pistol in hand Sabine raised it and fired directly into the other guards chest before he had the chance to even turn around.

The guard crumpled to the floor onto his unconscious partner.

Upon hearing footsteps around the corner she raised the pistol but didn't fire upon seeing Lando come around the corner with a wide smile.

"You never cease to impress, Miss Wren." He said with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, too bad you were too busy hiding to help out." Sabine growled as she stood up.

"And it's too bad that your outfit is ruined." Lando replied as he looked down at Sabine's legs unabashedly. Sabine looked down as well to see the slit on her dress had ripped and now extended way too far up her leg.

"Eyes up here, Lando." Sabine said pointing at her face with a scowl.

"Hey, I think it's a good look." Lando said.

"Hit on me again, or look at my legs like that again and I will shoot you." She said. Lando didn't apologize but he did stop talking which was good enough for her at the moment. He stepped over the unconscious guards while Sabine turned to look for the lock on the door.

"Uhh, Lando." Sabine said as she looked at the interface on the door. It was far too advanced to unlock with a simple scrambler. "We can't unlock this door."

Lando stepped forward and looked at the interface. "Damnit, Halho must have updated his security. Only way we can unlock this is from the other side or if we make Halho unlock it from this side."

"Well last I checked passing through walls wasn't something I could do so unless you've been hiding a very useful talent this whole time then there's nothing else we can do." Sabine said with a sigh of frustration.

"Not necessarily." Lando said as he looked at Sabine with a mischievous smile on his face. "I have an idea but Ezra isn't going to like it."

"I probably won't either but let's hear it." Sabine said.

* * *

Ezra tapped his foot impatiently while the guards silently stood on either side of him in the surprisingly cozy study. Half of the walls were covered with shelves filled with paper books from the floor to the ten foot high ceiling while the deep red furniture all looked incredibly expensive and comfortable. The only things out of place were the two stiff looking guards, one of them stood in front of Ezra and the other behind him, holding him by the shoulders.

"So when is the administrator coming?" Ezra asked to break the silence. "Does he do autographs?"

The guard facing him immediately pulled his fist back and punched Ezra. Going along with his faked drunkenness, Ezra both allowed the blow to make contact and fell to the floor. He groaned in pain as his jaw stung and tightened up, he gently rubbed the painful wound and immediately felt it begin to swell, along with a newfound hatred for the guard.

"Shut up." The guard said.

"Just a question, sheesh." Ezra responded from the floor.

"A good one too." Ezra's heart stopped upon hearing Ahsoka's voice again.

 _Not now. Please not now._ Ezra pleaded silently.

His eyes widened as he turned his head towards the voice hoping that he wouldn't see anything. Instead of just a foot running into the darkness, he saw her in her entirety. She sat on the couch a few feet away facing him. She was covered in ash just like in his dreams, and staring at him as if everything was normal and fine in the galaxy.

"Get up." Ezra heard the guard say. But he couldn't bring himself to even move as the strange warning in the force came back to him.

"You're not real." Ezra shakily whispered as Ahsoka stood up and walked around him.

"What the hell is he talking about?" He heard one of the guards mutter. He groaned in agony as a boot kicked him directly in the gut.

"I said get up!" The other one said as Ezra clutched his stomach and closed his eyes as he curled up in pain.

"I feel that anger." He heard Ahsoka practically whisper in his ear, he could even feel her breath on his neck.

"Get out of my head!" Ezra screamed as he swung his arm out only to find nothing. He opened his eyes and looked up to see nothing but the two guards staring down at him with angry and confused looks on their faces.

Ezra pushed himself up onto his knees and frantically looked around the room only to find nothing. Ahsoka was gone again.

 _What the hell is happening to me._ Ezra felt his heart start beating rapidly and his chest started to tighten as he breathed faster and faster. He had never felt so afraid before.

"Get up!" The guard yelled as he slapped his hand down on Ezra's shoulder. Something snapped in Ezra, his vision went red and without thinking and acting purely on instinct Ezra reached across with his cybernetic arm and grabbed the guards hand. The guard yelled out in pain as Ezra pulled down as hard as he could yanking the guard down to the ground.

Ezra rolled over the guard and spun onto his feet then extended both hands towards the guards and pulled upon all of his strength in the force. The ensuing shockwave instantly hit both of the guards and threw them into the wall behind them.

Both instantly crumpled to the floor and didn't make any sign of movement afterwards.

Ezra let his hands fall to his sides as he tried to recenter himself by breathing in deeply.

" _Ezra?"_ He heard Sabine's voice in his ear over the sound of his heart beating.

"Sabine…" Ezra replied through strained shaky breaths.

" _Are you alright?"_ She asked as Ezra leaned against a bookshelf and frantically looked around the room to make sure he didn't see Ahsoka anymore at all.

"Fine" Ezra said. "I'll tell you about it later."

"Okay…" She said sounding unconvinced. "Are you still in the building? They took you to the study right?"

"Yeah, why?" Ezra asked.

"Well, uhh Lando and I hit a bit of a dead end. We can't get through the door to Halho's office, but you should be able to unlock it from the other side."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Ezra asked.

"Well…" Sabine said in a timid voice. "...Just look up."

Ezra raised an eyebrow and looked up at the ceiling.

"No." He said as he looked at the narrow vent. He had promised himself that his days of crawling through ventilation systems were done.

"It's the closest vent that connects to the office and it's only about a ten meter crawl." Sabine said. "It's also our only choice." She added.

"Fine." Ezra sighed. "But this is the last time."

"Last time, promise." Sabine said. "See you in a few minutes."

Ezra rubbed his swollen jaw and once again nervously scanned the room for Ahsoka before doing anything else.

 _Can't worry about that right now._ He told himself. The mission came first, he would worry about whatever was going on in his head later.

He stood up from the shelf and extended his hand towards the vent and pulled it open with the force. He positioned himself directly underneath it and bent his legs preparing to jump.

"One last time." He said with a hint of hope. In reality, he knew it was probably far from the last time.

Break

Ezra dropped down from the vent into the eclectically decorated office. Ezra didn't know much about this Halho character, but he seemed to fancy himself something of a collector from what Ezra could tell.

The walls were lined with display cases of strange pieces of armor as well as minerals and other oddities. Mounted on the wall behind the desk was an intricately designed jet black vibrosword.

 _Wonder what that's worth on the black market._ Ezra thought to himself out of habit before turning away and walking up to the door. The locking mechanism was complex but luckily was meant to only prevent the door from being opened from the other side. After a few minutes of frustration, Ezra was finally able to manually bypass the lock and the door slid open revealing Sabine and Lando with two unconscious guards on the floor behind them.

"What happened to you?" Ezra asked as he noticed Sabine was shoeless and her dress was ripped almost all the way up to her waist revealing her very well toned legs. "Wow." He accidentally said.

"You gonna shoot him?" Lando asked.

"Ezra's allowed to hit on me." Sabine said looking at Lando with narrow eyes. "You're not."

 _Of course he was hitting on her._ Ezra said to himself.

"Ez, help me get these bodies out of the hallway. Lando, I'm assuming you have a way onto Halho's computer?" Sabine asked rhetorically.

"Of course." Lando answered emphatically.

"Good, get on it." She said as she looked back at Ezra and nodded towards the bodies.

Ezra didn't waste any time and immediately got to work. He grabbed the first unconscious guard by the shoulders and dragged him into the office while Sabine pulled the second one inside.

"Alright, as long as nobody tries to check in, we should be fine." Sabine said as she closed the office door.

Ezra and Sabine both walked towards the desk where Lando sat as he opened up the computer.

"Whoa…" Sabine exclaimed, Ezra saw her looking at the sword on the wall behind Lando. She walked up to it and gingerly lifted it off of the mount with both hands. "This is a Mandalorian vibrosword from the crusades." She said excitedly as she gently turned it over in her hands with wide eyed enthusiasm. "It can actually hold up against a lightsaber, in fact it's what it was designed for."

"I'm in." Lando said. Sabine gently laid the sword down on the desk as her and Ezra both watched over Lando's shoulders to see the screen.

After a few minutes of searching Lando sighed in frustration. "There's nothing on here about fixing the elections."

"Well what about his smuggling operation?" Sabine asked. "Here let me see." She nudged Lando telling him to get out of the chair. They switched spots and Sabine immediately began typing codes in at a rapid pace. After a few moments a massive list of numbers and data popped up.

"What is that?" Ezra asked as the data began to fill up the screen.

"It's his ledger." Lando said as his lips began to curl into a smile. "That dumb sonofabitch keeps a ledger of his smuggling operation."

"Copying it now." Sabine said as she put a small datadrive into the computer.

"Make it two copies." Lando said. "If I can't prove he's rigging the election then I can prove that he's a criminal."

"You're a criminal too, you know." Sabine said.

"The people of Cloud City know that." Lando said. "They don't care what their politicians do as long as they don't get caught."

"Sounds like good people." Ezra said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

Without warning the door to the office opened. Sabine and Lando both raised their blaster pistols as the intruder revealed themselves. A tall slender man with short black hair and ghostly pale skin stood in the center with two armed guards on each side of him.

Ezra stepped towards the computer slowly and pulled the datadrive out of the computer as covertly as possible, the data copy was complete. He slipped the drive into his pocket while Sabine stood up from the chair with her blaster still raised.

"Lando," The thin man said. "I should have known you would try something like this."

"I don't know what you could possibly be talking about, Halho." Lando replied.

"That's Halho?" Sabine asked in disbelief before Ezra could. The man before them just didn't seem to live up to his reputation.

"That's very rude." The man said chidingly. "And you." He looked at Ezra. "You're the one who broke my favorite piece of art. I'll enjoy having all three of you killed."

"Sorry." Ezra said with a non committal shrug. "We'll just be going now if you don't mind."

"I do." Halho responded as he waved his hand forward and the four guards stepped into the room with their weapons raised and began walking towards Ezra, Sabine, and Lando.

As the guards neared, Ezra felt something else coming. Something dark and sinister that warned of danger and pain.

"Something's wrong." Ezra whispered to Sabine.

"Yeah, we're about to be arrested." Sabine snapped back.

"No, something else-" Ezra stopped what he was saying as soon as he saw the danger that the force had warned him of. A black silhouette in the hallway behind Halho. It came out from the corner and sprinted at Halho with alarming speed and finesse.

"Look out!" Ezra yelled too late, he heard the sound of a lightsaber activating and saw a black blade shoot from Halho's chest. The man instantly went stiff with shock before collapsing to the ground revealing his attacker behind him.

A Mandalorian wearing jet black armor with blood red detailing on his helmet and chest. In his hand he held a black lightsaber with a flat sharp blade.

The guards turned and immediately opened fire on the assassin. Ezra watched in horror and awe as the Mandalorian easily deflected each bolt and charged towards his opponents easily cutting through each one as if they were mere annoyances. Sabine and Lando immediately opened fire on the closest guard then aimed at the assassin.

He blocked all of their attacks then extended an open hand towards their guns and yanked them away. The pistols flew from their hands and clattered to the floor on the other side of the room. As he cut down the final guard, he raised the same hand towards the three of them and a small missile popped out of the vambrace.

"Get down!" Ezra heard Sabine yell. Knowing the room was too small to try and duck for cover. Ezra focused on the missile in the force as it fired and tried to redirect it. The missile errantly fired off to the right into the wall.

Ezra didn't have time to even move before it detonated. The first thing he felt was the heat then a massive amount of weight careening into him along with the shockwave. As his feet were taken off of the ground and he felt himself being thrown across the room, all he could see was different shades of blue, then Lando's hand, then a window.

Ezra's eyes widened in fear as he felt his body hit the glass and heard it shatter. He reached out towards where he thought the edge of the window was and clamped his fingers down as hard as he could as soon as his fingers touched surface. With his cybernetic arm he grabbed onto the first piece of Lando that he could see, which was unfortunately his ankle.

Ezra yelled in pain as he slammed into the outside wall and Lando's weight nearly yanked his shoulder out of it's socket.

"Whoa!" Lando yelled. "Help me up!" Ezra groaned as he looked down to see Lando helplessly flailing while hanging upside down with absolutely nothing other than clouds below him.

"Ezra!" He heard Sabine yell from inside.

 _Sabine needs our help._ Ezra remembered, she was alone with that monster. She wouldn't be able to stand a chance without any of her gear.

"Pull me up!" Lando yelled.

"I can't hold on, Lando!" Ezra yelled as his fingers began to slip, he couldn't carry both his and Lando's weight and there was no way Lando was going to be able to climb up him. He frantically searched for any other options than climbing. There was a wide balcony about a story down and a few meters further down the wall.

"There!" Ezra yelled. "There's a balcony to our right! I'm going to swing you and throw you over to it okay!"

"Are you kidding me?! I'll break my neck!" Lando yelled over the growing wind.

"Only if you land on your head!" Ezra responded. "So don't do that!"

Without waiting for approval, Ezra braced his legs on the wall as best he could then began to swing his arm while Lando screamed in protest.

"On three!" Ezra yelled as he swung Lando towards the balcony then back to the other side again. He quickly counted down the swings and on three with one final swing, he let go of Lando's ankle and let him careen towards the balcony. He clenched his jaw and held his breath as the man was airborne for a brief second that felt like a minute then sighed in relief as he ungracefully landed dead center on the balcony then slowly began to push himself back up onto his feet.

Before his hand gave way, Ezra quickly swung his other arm up and latched onto the window ledge with both arms and pulled himself up.

* * *

Sabine only noticed Ezra and Lando were gone once she stood back up after the blast and noticed the only other person in the room was the assassin. She recognized the crest on his helmet as the Kast clan. One of the most loyal supporters of Maul even during the Clone Wars. The Darksaber in his hand only confirmed her suspicion that whoever this person was, they were an apprentice of Mauls.

"Just you and me now, traitor." The Mandalorian said as he raised the darksaber and pointed it at her. The sudden sound of howling wind made Sabine notice the broken window as well as see a hand clutching the window ledge.

"Ezra!" She yelled as she tried to run towards him but the Mandalorian jumped forward, forcing her to back up.

 _Of course. The one time I don't have a real weapon._ Sabine thought to herself sarcastically as she stumbled back into the desk, she reached out to balance herself, her hand landed on the familiar grip of the vibrosword just as the assassin lashed out. She spun to the side dodging the blow and taking the weapon with her.

She held it up in front of her with both hands just in time for it to block a second attack. It was so strong that it knocked her defense aside and forced her to step back. She winced in pain as debris from the explosion pressed into her bare feet but ignored it as best as she could.

She had minimal experience in sword fighting, and this Mandalorian made even Ezra look mediocre.

 _Come on Ezra._ She plead silently as she looked at the window waiting for him to climb back in. The Mandalorian attacked again with a flurry of blows, each one stronger than its predecessor. She blocked a high attack just in time then took another step back and began circling the desk backwards. It became evident enough that he was simply toying with her like a predator playing with its prey before finishing the kill.

Sabine breathed heavily and kept the sword close to herself as he raised his sword up and brought it down. She tried to sidestep but he feigned his attack and adjusted to her movement. The darksaber clashed with the black metal of the sword sparking with energy as he pressed further down and locked his saber with her sword.

Sabine clenched her jaw and pushed back as much as he could but he had the advantage in size and weight with his armor on. The darksaber inched closer and closer until she could feel its heat along her arm and across her midsection.

With one final push her arms gave way as he angled the end of his saber in. Sabine screamed in agony as the saber cut into her upper arm as he pulled away. Her arm fell limp at her side leaving her to defend herself one handed. The assassin pulled his saber back to lunge forward but was quickly interrupted by seemingly nothing throwing him off of his feet, he crashed over the desk and onto the floor as Sabine looked toward the window to see Ezra running towards her.

"Sword!" Ezra yelled extending his hand out. Sabine quickly threw the sword which he deftly caught by the grip just in time to block an attack from the already recovered Mandalorian.

"You just don't know when to quit do you?!" Ezra yelled as he parried an attack and then swung back in a downward arc which the Mandalorian barely dodged.

In search for a weapon, Sabine spotted a blaster pistol still clutched in the hand of a dead guard. She dove for it and pried the pistol from his fingers before aiming at the Mandalorian and opening fire. The Mandalorian managed to deflect the shots but it gave Ezra the advantage.

With one smooth motion, Ezra ducked underneath an attack and slashed upwards along the Mandalorians leg, the sharp blade sparked on the metal of the shinguard but found purchase at the knee and up the side of his thigh.

The Mandalorian screamed and fell to his knee just managing to block a lunging Ezra. He rolled away from Ezra after another attack then pulled what looked like a grenade from his belt and threw it down on the ground in front of him. Sabine realized what it was just in time to close her eyes and cover her ears. The flashbang detonated almost instantly and hurt her ears even when they were covered.

As the bright light that shined through her eyelids faded, Sabine opened her eyes. The assassin was gone while Ezra began to kneel down next to her.

"You alright?" He practically yelled most likely still partially deaf from the flashbang.

"Fine." Sabine said back loudly enough so that he would be able to hear. "Where did he go?" She asked.

"He had a jetpack on, jumped out the window." Ezra said. "I managed to close my eyes but I didn't have time to cover my ears."

"Yeah…" Sabine said as she let Ezra help her up onto her feet. "I figured." She hissed in pain shooting up from her now bloodied feet. Deciding to ignore the feet for the moment she looked around the room at the destruction. Five dead bodies, window broken, most of the display cases and their contents where shattered and half of the wall was shelled out.

"Uhh…" she realized they were one person short. "Where's Lando?" She asked looking at Ezra with a concerned look.

"Oh…" Ezra said in realization. "Dropped him onto a balcony below us. He's fine."

"Okay." She said with a slight sigh of relief, as much as she disliked the man, she didn't want his death on her conscience.

" _Sabine, Ezra, you two alright?"_ Lando chimed in on the comms.

"Yeah, Lando we're fine." Sabine answered as she looked at Ezra. "Come on we need to get out of here before more security shows up." Ezra dropped the sword onto the floor.

"Your feet." Ezra said pointing down at Sabine's bloodied feet.

"They're fine." Sabine winced as she stepped forward. "Don't even think about trying to carry me."

" _Did you manage to get the data?"_ Lando asked as Ezra and Sabine began to make their way down the hallway as an alarm began to sound.

"What's it matter to you? Halho is dead anyways!" Sabine said. "This way!" She said to Ezra pointing down a hall that would lead to an emergency exit Lando had told her about.

" _Exactly! He's dead and I'm running against him. Did it occur to you that I would be the prime suspect? If I can prove he was smuggling then people will think he was assassinated because of his smuggling not his political position."_ Lando replied.

"Fine, we'll send you the data once we're out of here." Sabine said as she and Ezra found a staircase and quickly began descending. At the bottom of the stairs was staff entrance which Ezra and Sabine barrelled out of back into the streets of Cloud City. The entire street was filled with servants as well as other guests who had been evacuated from the building. Ezra and Sabine carefully slowed themselves and shifted over into the crowd as security and Imperials began searching for them.

Within a few minutes they were out of the crowd and on their way back to the safety of the Wraith.

* * *

"Ow!"

"Hold still!" Ezra lectured Sabine as he let the tweezers in his hand drop the small piece of glass he had pulled from her right foot. They sat on the floor of the crew lounge with Sabine's leg propped up on Ezra's folded jacket from the party.

"It's hard to hold still when you're digging around in my foot like that! Are you trying to find treasure or something?" Sabine snapped at him. Ezra simply pulled the tweezers away and looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Sorry…" She said sheepishly.

"It's fine." Ezra responded as he readied his instruments to pull out another piece. "This is the last piece I think." He gently placed the tweezers over a thick splinter from the desk and gripped it as firmly as possible.

He felt Sabine's leg tense up but pulled it out carefully and slowly to make sure it didn't break off.

"Alright." He said as he dropped the piece into the tray with the other seven pieces of debris he had the unfortunate task of pulling out of her feet. "Just gotta clean it off and get some bacta on it then you should be good to go."

"Thanks." Sabine said as Ezra began to clean off her feet with a sterilizing wipe and then apply bacta. Because of the bacta, the wounds had already stopped bleeding by the time he began to wrap thick bandages around her feet.

"You're welcome." Ezra said. "How's your arm feeling?" He asked nodding towards what he knew would become a gruesome scar on her upper arm.

"Hurts worse than any type of blaster, blade, or explosive." Sabine said shaking her head.

"Yeah…" Ezra said with a sigh as he recalled all of his lightsaber wounds. "Lightsabers are pretty rough."

"Well it was worth it." Sabine said as she picked up a data pad from next to her. "I finished going through the ledger. Halho has been ferrying large shipments of spice from some planet in Wild Space for the past eight years straight. I'm willing to bet all of our small fortune that it's Maul." Sabine said.

"Good." Ezra said, he didn't feel the elation or joy he had expected though. He was one step closer to Maul, he now had the chance to cripple Maul's finances, but all he felt was tired and all he could think of was Ahsoka."Without his money, Maul will loses all of his mercenaries and will have to stop whatever crazy project he's using it all for."

"There's a slight problem with that though." Sabine said as she looked at Ezra with worried eyes. "Ezra, we made two million credits on the Black Market for half a cargo hold worth of that spice. Maul's been selling nearly ten times that every year for eight years. Whatever he's working on. It's gotta be huge and it might already be done."

"Well, we just have to hope it'll be enough." Ezra said with a shrug of his shoulders. "And then we'll keep going from there."

"Everything okay, Ez?" Sabine asked as she tilted her head and looked at Ezra carefully as if she was inspecting a weapon. Ezra smirked slightly upon seeing how much she cared about him. She didn't say it very often, but he had learned to spot it and at that moment it was more than evident in her eyes. Not only did she care though, she deserved to know what was going on his head, not just because of their relationship, but because they were partners and needed to trust each other.

"No." Ezra relented. "Those nightmares about Ahsoka…" He began to explain but paused upon hearing how ridiculous it sounded. "...Well they're more than just nightmares now."

Sabine raised an eyebrow as her lips parted ever so slightly. "What do you mean?" She asked cautiously.

"I'm seeing her." Ezra let the words out deciding it was better to just say it. "I saw her last night, and I saw her after I got separated from you and Lando."

"Could it be the Holocron?" Sabine asked.

"I don't know." Ezra shrugged. "If it is, there's nothing we can do about it until we figure out how to destroy it. I can't even open it anymore, my lightsaber can't cut through it."

"We can't bring it back to Atollon or just hide it somewhere?" Sabine asked.

"It was hidden on an abandoned planet underneath the surface in the middle of a Sith temple when Ahsoka, Kanan, Maul, Vader, and I all found it at the same time. We can't risk the Empire finding it and I can't risk it hurting Kanan if it really is hurting me." Ezra explained.

Sabine sighed and propped her elbows up on her knees and rubbed the sides of her head. "I don't like this at all and I don't trust things that can't be blown up."

"I don't like it either." Ezra said as he placed a comforting hand on Sabine's leg. "But right now it's our only choice."

"I know." Sabine said in resignation.

"Come on now." Ezra said as he stood up and extended his hand out to Sabine. "You need to get some rest before we resupply tomorrow, it's going to be a long haul into Wild Space." He said, trying his best to distract Sabine from the more pressing issues.

"We can't just not talk about this." Sabine said as she took Ezra's hand and let him help her up. She grimaced in pain from walking on her feet but Ezra let her walk, he knew better than to try and carry her.

"We will, tomorrow. But right now, we need rest." Ezra said as he wrapped his arm under Sabine's shoulders and helped her walk out of the lounge and back to their quarters.

"Fine." She said grudgingly as they entered their quarters. They both undressed and nearly collapsed from exhaustion onto the bed.

Sabine was quick to lay her head on Ezra's shoulder as soon as he got comfortable. He smiled when she almost instantly laid her hand on his chest like she did every night. It was a small gesture but it meant more to him than he could possibly describe, it told him that he wasn't alone in everything. That Sabine was always there by his side, something that he knew he needed more than ever. He felt like he was losing his mind, if anybody would be able to help him get through it, he knew it was her.

"I'm worried about you." Sabine said gently as if she was already half asleep, Ezra had suspected she was. Something he had learned about her over the past few weeks was that she could fall asleep in an instant.

"I know." Ezra whispered back. He was worried too, in truth he was terrified, but he didn't want her to know that.

"I love you." She said even more quietly this time. Ezra smiled and closed his eyes.

"I know." He replied. Within a few minutes he felt his own exhaustion catching up with him and quickly faded away into his dreams.

* * *

As the two fell silently asleep in their quarters, the Sith holocron glowed in an ominous red that flooded the small storage container they were keeping it in. The holocron opened ever so slightly at the top and immediately went to work on it's task.

It extended its tendril-like grasp out and latched onto the boy's mind and began to plague it with the same visions over and over again. And in his waking hours, the vision of his dead teacher would continue to plague him, to weaken his soul and mind.

It was a simple plan, one that it's creator had executed multiple times. If the boy would not use its power, then the Holocron would weaken the boy and drain his lifeforce until he was nothing but a lifeless husk.

* * *

 **So, I'm obviously building on canon here with what the holocrons are capable of but it always just made sense to me that Sith holocrons would try and manipulate or use their subjects in whatever way possible. Anyways, hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!**


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